Shein unveiled the new plans at a fashion show at Pavillon Vendôme where it said the programme would identify, support and develop emerging European design talent, with an initial commitment of €10m to the programme.
The fashion retailer explained that a dedicated team will focus on the program, with a target of onboarding 250 European designers over the next five years for the Shein X Designer Incubator Program.
According to Shein, Shein X allows designers to do what they do best — create — while it handles the manufacturing, marketing and retail: "Designers can reach a global audience, share in the profits from sales, and keep ownership of their creations."
Reportedly, almost 100 French designers have taken part in Shein X, including designers like Mathilde Lhomme and Oxana, whose designs Shein pointed out are now available to consumers in more than 150 markets globally since launching on its platform.
Moreover, seven of the designers who participated in Shein's Paris runway show are previous participants in Shein X.
Shein's EMEA president Leonard Lin believes Europe is home to incredible young talent, and that Shein is working not only to empower this new generation of creative designers but also to drive its sustainability and circularity ambitions forward.
Lin said: "Just as the local designers at our runway show have incorporated circularity into their styles, we intend to continue pushing the adoption of circular choices and preferred materials across our offering. With collaborations like this and our commitment to investing in bringing more designers into Shein X, we hope Shein can be a catalyst for emerging fashion voices and furthering the circularity agenda."
Shein has been at the brunt of headlines lately along with its rival Temu. Recently, German local reports said that the country's legislators were drafting new regulations to ensure that Chinese "discount retailers" such as Shein and Temu adhere to standards for product safety, environmental protection, consumer rights and customs and tax laws.
