08/24/2026
On Sept. 1, Shein will start trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, with an expected valuation of $27 billion -- about 1/4 of the company's peak $100 billion value a few years ago. Likewise, Temu (PDD Holdings) is down by more than half from its high in 2020. What's the story?
It's definitely a tale of two stories...
Consumers still love the low prices (even if it comes with questionable quality). However, investors are skeptical about a business model that can produce $2 t-shirts and $10 jeans. Does the company license ideas for its fashion or lift them illegally? Are workers exploited? (It doesn't take a math wizard to compute that a $2 t-shirt is not part of any fair trade practice...)
Beyond all of those questions about the business model, there is also the health question, which is gaining more traction as men grapple with low s***m count and plastic in their reproductive organs. Was it ever a good idea to put petroleum products all over our bodies? (Skin is the largest human organ.)
And then there is also that giant dump of discarded fast fashion clothing in Atacama Desert, Chile...
Learn more in these blogs. Your thoughts? Do you buy from Shein? Temu? TikTok Shop? Another super cheap outlet? Are you using a local Buy Nothing group? Have you made the switch from polyester (a petroleum product) to natural fibers?
https://www.nataliepace.com/blog/fast-fashion-fossil-fuels-atacama-desert-clothing-waste-dunes-that-star-studded-mumbai-wedding #/
https://www.nataliepace.com/blog/arkansas-sues-temu-for-data-theft-temu-surpasses-target #/
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