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The founder of British clothing brand All Saints has said he would be “horrified” if fast-fashion firm Shein is allowed to list in London, describing the Chinese-founded company as the “worst” offender in the sector.
“Fast fashion really has changed the whole industry, because it’s now like a race to the bottom… The planet cannot afford it,” Stuart Trevor, who founded All Saints in 1994, told City AM.
With the average consumer purchasing double the amount of clothes as 15 years ago and keeping it for half as long, emissions from the industry have skyrocketed.
“Everybody’s got wardrobes full of clothes that they don’t wear,” Trevor said. “We’re never going to stop people from buying clothes, but it would be better if we could encourage people to create longer-lasting items of clothes.”
Trevor, who sold All Saints in 2007 and now mentors companies on sustainability, adds to a growing list of voices warning against the environmental impact of both Shein and the wider fast-fashion sector.
The fashion industry as a whole is the second-biggest consumer of water and is responsible for two to eight per cent of global carbon emissions, according to the UN.
Shein alone produced 16.68m tons of carbon dioxide in 2023, up from 9.17m tons in 2022, according to its own sustainability report, although it retains the aim of reaching net-zero by 2050.
The Singapore-based firm is currently aiming for an initial public offering (IPO) in London, although the IPO is facing signifcant scrutiny from MPs and human rights groups.
Leigh Day, the lawyers for Stop Uyghur Genocide (SUG), delivered a dossier of evidence alleging supply chain abuses to Shein’s senior lawyer for EMEA, Yinan Zhu, prior to an appearance before MPs last week.
The dossier is said to show “clear, identifiable links between cotton production in the Uyghur region and forced labour”.
Shein was widely criticised for its responses to MPs’ questions, where it declined to answer questions over the company’s supply chain. The firm’s representative, Yinan Zhu, asked if she could write to the committee following the hearing.
“Their performance at that inquiry was quite shocking… but it was also a bit of a sigh of relief,” Trevor said. “Hopefully now [the listing] won’t happen.”
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission has already refused to recommend its listing on New York’s bourse due to concerns about labour practices.
“I would be horrified if [UK regulators] allow this to go through,” Trevor added.
Even without an IPO, Shein is set to continue on its skyward trajectory to land as the sixth largest UK apparel retailer by 2027, according to Global Data.
ASOS, boohoo.com and PrettyLittleThing are all set to lose market share to the giant by 2027.
Shein did not respond to a request for comment.
