Everlane, a fashion brand founded in 2011 with a focus on transparency and ethical consumerism, was acquired last week by Shein, a Chinese fast-fashion company known for its rapid product turnover and low prices. Shein adds up to 10,000 new items daily to its online platform and offers some products for under one dollar. The acquisition has raised concerns among Everlane’s followers, who valued the brand’s commitment to ethical production, as Shein has faced numerous allegations regarding labor practices, product safety, and intellectual property violations.

Shein’s business model reflects the broader challenges in the fast-fashion industry. Critics highlight that while fashion as an industry struggles with sustainability, Shein exemplifies many of the sector’s most problematic aspects, including exploitative labor conditions and environmental issues. In a 2023 podcast episode from Vox, journalist Hilary Milnes discusses how Shein's widespread popularity, fueled in part by TikTok, contrasts sharply with these concerns.

The fast-fashion landscape is further examined in a range of media exploring its impact and underlying systems. An HBO documentary, “Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion,” investigates the teen-focused brand Brandy Melville, revealing disturbing alleged hiring practices and highlighting the negative effects such companies can have on young consumers. Former employees share accounts of what they describe as discriminatory employment policies.

The global supply chain behind garment production is also scrutinized in the 2021 book “Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment” by researcher Maxine Bédat. The book follows the journey of a pair of jeans from a Texan cotton farm, through garment factories in South Asia where workers, predominantly women, face high-pressure working environments, to a landfill in Ghana where discarded clothing accumulates.

Discussions around the definition and reach of fast fashion continue to evolve. In a WUNC News podcast episode titled “Why It’s So Hard to Break Up With Fast Fashion,” an industry insider argues that brands not traditionally labeled as fast fashion—such as Anthropologie and T.J. Maxx—can still promote consumer behaviors associated with fast fashion by encouraging frequent purchases and rapid turnover of products.

The acquisition of Everlane by Shein intensifies the conversation about sustainability, ethics, and the future of fashion, highlighting the tensions between transparency-focused brands and the prevailing fast-fashion business model.