When it launched in 2008, Shein was an online wedding dress business. Today, it is the world’s most-Googled fashion brand, its popularity even outstripping the likes of Nike and Zara.
Its agile, data-driven business model – which can spot new trends and changing tastes using AI, as well as determine public demand – means the Chinese ultra-fast fashion retailer is able to design and ship clothes to its mostly Gen Z customer base in as little as three days, far quicker than high-street retailers. Annual revenues are now estimated to be in the region of $40bn.
