Chinese Fast-Fashion Giant Shein Aims to Be More Sustainable

Executive Vice Chairman of Chinese fast-fashion retailer Shein, Donald Tang, talks to public during the World Retail Congress in Barcelona, Spain April 25, 2023. (Reuters)
Executive Vice Chairman of Chinese fast-fashion retailer Shein, Donald Tang, talks to public during the World Retail Congress in Barcelona, Spain April 25, 2023. (Reuters)
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Chinese Fast-Fashion Giant Shein Aims to Be More Sustainable

Executive Vice Chairman of Chinese fast-fashion retailer Shein, Donald Tang, talks to public during the World Retail Congress in Barcelona, Spain April 25, 2023. (Reuters)
Executive Vice Chairman of Chinese fast-fashion retailer Shein, Donald Tang, talks to public during the World Retail Congress in Barcelona, Spain April 25, 2023. (Reuters)

Chinese fast-fashion retailer Shein plans to become more focused on sustainability, Executive Vice Chairman Donald Tang said on Tuesday, adding that consumers are no longer just concerned about affordability.

Shein sells $10 dresses and $5 tops and has taken market share from other affordable fashion retailers. The company produces clothing in China to sell online in the United States, Europe and Asia and has been criticized for promoting throwaway fashion.

"Consumers these days are no longer looking just at price: in the next phase to continue to grow you need to have ESG in mind," Tang said at the World Retail Congress in Barcelona.

ESG, an acronym for environmental, social, and governance, is a term used to describe corporations' efforts to be more responsible.

Tang said that Shein is offering customers an option to pick higher-quality materials and pay a premium for them for certain items.

He also mentioned Shein Exchange, the company's platform where shoppers can resell used clothes, which launched in the US in October and aims to start in other markets this year.

Shein continues to grow "very robustly", Tang said, and regularly has less than 2% of unsold inventory.



Dolce&Gabbana CEO Ready to Open Capital to New Investors

The logo of Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana is seen at a branch office at Bahnhofstrasse shopping street in Zurich, Switzerland September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
The logo of Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana is seen at a branch office at Bahnhofstrasse shopping street in Zurich, Switzerland September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
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Dolce&Gabbana CEO Ready to Open Capital to New Investors

The logo of Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana is seen at a branch office at Bahnhofstrasse shopping street in Zurich, Switzerland September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
The logo of Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana is seen at a branch office at Bahnhofstrasse shopping street in Zurich, Switzerland September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

Dolce&Gabbana is ready to consider opening up its capital to new investors either through a listing or other routes, the Italian fashion house's CEO said.
"We are now ready to consider opening our capital to third parties through a listing or other financial instruments," CEO Alfonso Dolce said in an interview published on Monday in Corriere della Sera's L'Economia weekly supplement.
The financing must "not compromise the ethical value of our company, its respectful growth," said Dolce, brother of Domenico, who founded the group and runs it in partnership with Stefano Gabbana, Reuters reported.
In May, the CEO did not rule out a possible future stock market listing, but said the move was not a priority.
Dolce&Gabbana's revenue for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, which ended in March, was up 17% to 1.871 billion euros ($2.04 billion), said Dolce, adding that he hoped to repeat this growth this year.
The fashion house will open 12 new stores in the US, including at 695 Madison Avenue in New York, the former Hermes location, with more than 2,000 square meters over five floors.
"The United States are vital, we already have 72 stores, plus four in Canada, together they represent 28% of our turnover, compared to 16% in China," said Dolce.