When we talk about ultra fast fashion, the names Shein and Temu are the ones that come up most often as they are so popular all over the world. The first, created in 2008, exploded during the Covid crisis to the point of becoming in 2021 the most visited fashion site in the world under the noses of well-established brands like Zara and H&M. The second emerged in 2022 and has since enjoyed dizzying success thanks to its millions of very low-priced items offered online.
Between the two Chinese giants, one might think there is mutual respect or at least a cordial understanding. The reality is quite different. Temu and Shein are engaged in a trench warfare where almost anything goes. The latest episode dates back a few days with a complaint filed in the United States on August 19 by Shein against its rival. The low-cost clothing brand accuses Temu of copying its items. “In order to promote counterfeit versions of Shein products, Temu reproduced virtually identical copyrighted images of Shein products,” claims the fast fashion steamroller.
First episode in December 2022
The move seems very daring when you consider Shein’s less than stellar past. The Chinese site is indeed “very regularly accused of copying the designs of other brands, including ‘Dr. Martens, Ralph Lauren, Levi Strauss, Puma, Adidas and H&M'”, Korii points out. “The designs copied by Temu could therefore have been stolen from others by Shein”, adds the business and tech vertical of Slate.fr. This is not the first time that the two Chinese groups known for their unbeatable prices have faced off in court.
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Already in December 2022, Shein was suing the newcomer in the disposable fashion landscape for intellectual property infringement. In 2023, it was Temu’s turn to put a coin in the machine by accusing his best enemy of “mafia-like maneuvers to thwart his establishment in the United States”. Very angry, Temu accuses Shein of “intimidation and sequestration of its suppliers, with the aim of obtaining exclusive contracts from them”.
These repeated accusations do not help the two Chinese giants to restore their image in the eyes of the general public. If Temu and Shein have managed to shake up the textile and e-commerce markets in record time thanks to their ever lower prices, they are also regularly singled out for their disastrous impact on the environment and the questionable working conditions of their employees.
