Shein’s Response: “We Take Down Infringing Items”—But Critics Say It’s Not Enough
Legal and Industry Context: “Fast Fashion Is Built on Copying”
From Instagram to Change in Fashion?
Wider Media and Social Uprising
What’s Next for Designers?
A UK - based designer took to Instagram to publicly accuse Shein of copying her embroidered sweatshirt—right down to the product photo. In her words : “It’s literally exact, they’ve just taken it and put it on something. I think they’ve printed it to make it a little cheaper, I suppose. That’s fast fashion for you.
It’s infuriating because they’re selling it for a third of the price as well.” She scrolls side-by-side images of her original listing and Shein’s, noting even her own hand holding the sweatshirt was
included in the stolen photo. The visual evidence is striking, every curve, every color, every styling detail is identical. Personal Impact: “It Hurts More Than You Think” She voices not only offense but real-world damage: “ Shein stole my design AND my photos.
They keep ripping off small brands, profiting from our creativity without permission . This isn’t a mistake—it’s a business model. Stop supporting theft. Support small designers.
“ Her stories echo a rising theme: small businesses struggle to fight megacorporations, losing financial ground and consumer trust when their original work is cloned and undercut online.
Shein’s Response: “We Take Down Infringing Items”—But Critics Say It’s Not Enough In the past, Shein’s policy has been to quickly remove content flagged as infringing and to blame third-party vendors for stealing art…
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