LA faces the brand power of fast fashion giant Sheina

I I’ll never forget the first time I bought clothes from Shein, a fast fashion retailer from China. I couldn’t wait to show everyone my new outfit on the ‘gram at the end of 2018 living in New York. I would go to the site and see so many cute t-shirts, jackets and dresses and they were so cheap! I could easily spend a few bucks online on all those clothes and be totally happy about it. Then came the awakening.

Shein takes over LA

Last year I started seeing a few experts in the fashion/apparel industry like Cora Harrington and Lakyn Carlton tweet about the negative effects of buying clothes from fast fashion stores like Shein. This newfound awareness made me stop shopping at Shein and other brands like it. But I am one person. There is still a high demand for these clothes.

My colleague Josie Huang wrote about how Shein continues its march toward global dominance, starting here in Los Angeles, where the Chinese company runs its American operations. Josie reports that the mega clothing company plans to open the second of three US distribution centers in Southern California and now has new offices in Row DTLA.

Shein recently opened a pop-up shop in Montebello and is making his brand more visible in local communities. For example, Josie writes that in September, Shein commissioned five Hispanic artists to create a mural in El Monte for National Hispanic Heritage Month. It’s emerging, and it’s a wake-up call for many activists worried about Shein’s impact on everything from workers to the environment.

To read more about Shein’s global impact, check out Josie’s story.

As always, stay happy and healthy, folks. There’s more news below — just keep reading.

More news

(After you stop pressing snooze)

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Wait… One more thing

Food for longevity and well-being just in time for the Lunar New Year

Join the fun this Lunar New Year

This Sunday is the beginning of the Lunar New Year! Millions of people are celebrating, and that means…lots of food!

This week LAist’s Fiona Chandra writes about the different foods people eat for Lunar New Year and what each food represents.

For example, a whole fish means “abundance” or “surplus”; Poon Choi, which means “pool vegetables,” features abalone, sea cucumber, and barbecue; and nián gāo means growth or “growing every year”. There are so many other different foods that people eat for Lunar New Year, and see Fiona’s story for where you can find these delicacies.