Shein X and Monse Team Up to Support Young Talent and Dress for Success Greater New York City
With speculation about an IPO on the London Stock Exchange still brewing, Shein has revealed a more definitive designer-based project in New York.
Shein X, the online company’s program that supports emerging talent and independent artists, has collaborated with the New York-based label Monse, which was cofounded by Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia in 2015. The duo bring some big-name recognition to the initiative. Many know Kim and Garcia for also being the creative forces behind Oscar de la Renta.
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The Shein connection comes with great reach — the company has 150 million online customers in 150 countries. As part of the deal, the Monse cofounders have mentored five designers to codesign and release the capsule collection. They were unavailable for an interview Wednesday.
There is also a charitable component to the collaboration with a tie-in to Dress for Success Greater New York City, an organization that supports women who are striving for economic independence by offering them professional attire, developmental tools and a support network. As part of the deal, Shein has donated $25,000, and $25,000 “market value” worth of clothing, to Dress for Success Greater New York City, according to a Shein spokesperson. Given the Singapore-based fast fashion company’s low pricing, that could be a good amount of clothing.
Dress for Success Greater New York City’s interim director Jennifer Wuerz was unavailable for a phone interview Wednesday, as was Shein’s Miguel Castillo.
Retail prices for the new collection range from $1.70 to $64.39 and includes dresses, jackets, blouses, pants and accessories. Shoppers are encouraged to share their looks on social media. The latest collaboration draws upon Monse’s signature for deconstructing menswear for women. The Shein X-Monse combination includes styles that were cooked up by Oxana Goralczyk and Mathilde Lhomme of France, and Jade Breyon, Allya Brow and KL Allen of the U.S. For the launch, photographer Owen Devalk shot the campaign.
Earlier Tuesday, Shein revealed a major launch — a 250 million euro Circularity Fund for businesses in the U.K. and the European Union, and its commitment to investing an additional 50 million euros in broader ESG efforts, and entrepreneurial businesses over the next five years. The announcement coincided with EU governments’ calling for tighter regulations to reduce environmental waste related to fast fashion. In recent months, Shein, which had supposedly filed papers to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange, has been rehabbing its image. The Singapore-based Shein has also been in the news lately regarding cybersecurity concerns, due to its plans to sell proprietary supply-chain technology and services to other companies.
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