For the last two years, SHEIN has empowered aspiring fashion designers and artists to launch their fashion collections, bringing their sketches to reality. Launched in January 2021, SHEIN’s flagship incubator program, SHEIN X, has been empowering budding designers, bringing their fashion collections to global audiences. With more than US$55 million invested to date, nearly 3,000 designers and artists have benefited from joining the SHEIN X program.
Being on board the SHEIN X program means that designers only need to focus on what they do best – creating. SHEIN fully supports SHEIN X designers and artists through the end-to-end process of launching a fashion collection, from product development to manufacturing, marketing, and supply chain logistics. SHEIN ensures designers do not undertake the financial risk or burden of producing and launching their fashion collections.
From only seven designers when the program launched in January 2021, the SHEIN X incubator program has grown to almost 3,000 designers and artists worldwide, launching nearly 2,000 collections with more than 25,000 original creations.
Behind every SHEIN X product is a dedicated production line involving dozens of professional manufacturing suppliers to produce SHEIN X products, leveraging SHEIN’s on-demand, small-batch production model and agile supply chain.
By producing in small batches, SHEIN X designs can be brought to the market without the high initial outlay and barrier of the Minimum Order Quantity in traditional garment manufacturing, which can be daunting for a young designer starting out. SHEIN’s agile supply chain and logistics also allow SHEIN X creations to be quickly delivered to global customers.
SHEIN equips designers with tools such as a real-time analytics site where designers can view the overall process and respond to consumer demands in real time. SHEIN X designers can choose to start production for another batch quickly when the items sell well. This exemplifies how SHEIN embraces a data-driven test and learn approach to improve efficiency and minimize production waste.
At the core of SHEIN’s business is a fully digital supply chain where proprietary software is used to track sales and communicate with its community of suppliers in real time to order in small batches. With the on-demand production model, production is based on real-time customer demand feedback instead of guessing months ahead of what customers may want. Therefore, excessive inventory and the associated wastage and costs are reduced, enabling SHEIN to pass the value in the form of a variety of affordable products to customers around the world.
SHEIN’s unique business model has empowered designers by launching their careers, giving them the support they need to build their brands. SHEIN respects the intellectual property of all designers, and SHEIN X designers own the rights to their SHEIN X designs. The SHEIN X program has also disbursed over US$5.37 million in commission to these designers, which is the vast majority of profits from the sale of SHEIN X products end of 2022.
SHEIN X designers can also enjoy the benefit of the extensive global reach of SHEIN’s social media platforms, as well as various marketing activities and resources, to increase visibility and brand awareness for SHEIN X designers and their creations, helping them grow their influence within the industry. Many SHEIN X designers also feature prominently at SHEIN’s physical events, such as pop-ups, and fashion shows, like the SHEIN X fashion show in Paris, as well as global fashion weeks, which provide an international spotlight for the designers. The SHEIN X program also elevates its designers and artists at national-level events, such as the Art Discovery Program, which aims to help draw visitors outside smaller communities in metro areas by creating new shopping and shareable art destinations for a limited time.
“A core pillar of SHEIN’s business model is to empower entrepreneurs. The SHEIN X program nurtures designers, helping them elevate their brands on the global stage”, said Molly Miao, Chief Operating Officer of SHEIN. “SHEIN is dedicated to continuing our SHEIN X outreach and efforts amongst designer and artist communities around the world, taking another step forward in making the beauty of fashion accessible to all.”
In 2023, SHEIN hopes to identify and onboard an additional 1,000 aspiring designers and artists from around the world to join SHEIN X. Newly onboarded SHEIN X designers will be offered unique opportunities to collaborate with world-renowned designers, participate in exclusive events, as well as travel the world on global exchanges. In January 2023, SHEIN partnered the Graduate Fashion Foundation to support the SHEIN X fashion design competition, where emerging European designers will vie for spots to be featured in the SHEIN X Fashion Show in Paris in June 2023.
