I’m guilty of buying into the SHEIN trend.
What started off as a quick way to begin building seasonal outfits has become a wasteful mess. I am not the only person at fault for this trend. With TikTok captions carrying the sentiment “#SHEINcares” at the bottom of their videos, it is nearly impossible to escape the SHEIN-machine. In fact, SHEIN has become the largest online-only retailer in the world.
But what could be harmful about buying $10 crop tops from an international giant? For one, the environmental impact. SHEIN is a part of a trend of clothes known as “fast-fashion,” a term meant to describe clothing that is not as durable as others. This comes from the rapidly shifting trends of what’s popular. The low cost production of these materials means lower prices, which means more will be bought, which ultimately lands itself in landfills.
There are alternatives to this fast fashion market. For example, there are a variety of local thrift shops in Johnson City alone: Haven of Mercy Thrift Store, Good Sam Thrift Store, and my favorite Family Promise Thrift Store.
Over the past weekend, I went into Family Promise. There are two sides to this store. On the right are the general thrift store items, and on the left are the clothes. I’ve always had the best luck at this store. I’ve found tops, dresses and skirts. This past time, I bought a floral skirt and an ironic t-shirt to plop my hair in after showers.
In addition, many of these stores support the local community. Haven of Mercy, for example, has housing programs, hot meals and counseling services. Family Promise aides families and children in combating homelessness.
In a SHEIN-haul, you take your money outside of our community. In a haul at a local thrift store, you are directly promoting the uplifting of our most vulnerable—the homeless.
