The online megastores Shein and Temu are currently some of the most popular and affordable fast fashion companies. Due to their affordable clothing and products, customers don’t necessarily pay attention to the suspiciously low prices, second-rate quality, and the concerns of exploitation of cheap labor. 

Fast fashion refers to the rapid production of inexpensive and trendy clothing that is quickly produced to respond to new fashion trends in the media.  

Although these companies have become dominant, mostly in the fashion industry, the cheap quality of their products have been known to wear out over a short amount of time and therefore contributes to a large amount of waste in the environment.  

Customers of Shein and Temu have had to deal with products whose quality was either really cheap or had sizing issues. 

“I have had problems with sizing multiple times, especially from Shein. I gave Temu a try a few times and I would say that the sizing is a bit better, but it’s only for certain clothing,” said freshman Nicola Minks. 

Not only is the cheap material a problem but so is the labor that goes into making it. Some factories associated with these companies have been accused of violating worker’s rights, including unsafe working conditions and low wages. 

This situation brought global attention to both consumers, especially Shein, as the company was recently sued by graphic designers who claimed that the company sold exact copies of their work.  

Temu also went under fire after multiple customers claimed to have their card information stolen and noticed money missing from their bank accounts after ordering from the website. 

Although there are many controversies surrounding the fast fashion industry, the affordable prices seem to help people keep money in their pockets, instead of spending hundreds of dollars at a regular retail store. 

“I mean I have spent at least 30 dollars on a pair of jeans at a regular clothing store, but when I shop on Shein I can get at least three pairs for like 45 dollars. Plus, when you’re in college you don’t really have a lot of money to spare to continuously shop for clothes. To me, Shein is the best option right now,” said junior Grady Morrow. 

Written by Jasmine Hightower, Entertainment Editor.  Photo courtesy of Shein.com