‘Dream come true’: Shein opens pop-up in Sydney’s Parramatta

A controversial fast fashion retailer from overseas has opened a store in Sydney’s west for this weekend only, sending fans into a frenzy.

Shein has opened a pop-up store in Sydney’s west, sending fans into a frenzy.

The Chinese conglomerate, known as the Amazon of the fast fashion world, is an online retailer known for its apparel, accessories, footwear and home items, most of which sell for between $8 and $30.

After popping up with a brick-and-mortar store in Melbourne last year, it will trade for three days from this Friday until Sunday in Parramatta.

The announcement was met with an excited response from shoppers, with many taking to social media to declare their “time has come”.

Controversial fast fashion retailer Shein opened a pop-up store in Sydney that has been met with excitement by shoppers. Picture: TikTok

It’s known as the ‘Amazon of fast fashion’. Picture: TikTok

“It’s your dream come true,” one woman wrote, tagging her friend in the comments.

“There goes mum’s pay,” another commented.

“Most exciting news I’ve heard all week,” said a third.

While one interstate user wrote: “I wish they’d do one here.”

The e-commerce giant, which is the number one key player in Australia’s online shopping arena according to Ipsos data, has been marred by controversy since its inception in 2008.

It’s open for three days this weekend. Picture: TikTok

Shein has come under fire for allegations of labour abuse, poor quality and unsustainable manufacturing output.

Fashion ratings website, Good On You, has dubbed it the “worst of the worst”.

“Aside from using a couple of eco-friendly materials here and there, there is no evidence the brand is taking any meaningful action to reduce its substantial impact on the environment,” the site said, giving the brand a score of ‘We Avoid’.

While the clothes are notoriously cheap, questions have been raised over the vast quantities of overstock which is produced by the business which releases around 6000 new styles daily.

The use of polyester is also criticised. Not only is the synthetic fabric resource intensive to produce, the production of the non-biodegradable fabric releases micro-plastics into waterways.

The ultra-fast fashion brand is consistently criticised for their unsustainable business model. Picture: Shein

But the retailer – largely due to the fact it’s affordable, and caters to a wider size range – remains popular among Australians; so much so that a Shein representative told Fashion Journal last year after its success in Melbourne that it had led them to invest in further pop-ups globally.

“We currently have no plans to open physical stores,” the spokesperson said.

“But we planning more pop-ups globally … to ensure more opportunities for in-depth connections with our customers.

“We found that many of our followers on social media are from Australia, and we wanted to establish a close emotional connection with them as it has been one of our goals for a long time.”

The retailer currently has no plans to open physical stores in Australia.

As for its environmental impact, the retailer (perhaps ironically) claimed it’s “committed to encouraging the sustainable development of the fashion industry”.

“We aim to address the industry’s core problem of inventory waste … Our technological collaboration led us to achieve fast sales in mass production and small order volumes,” the spokesperson said.

“We regularly upgrade traditional production processes via technology to effectively resolve inventory issues and reduce environmental pollution.

“We continue to proactively push the development of responsible fabrics, environmentally-friendly techniques, plastic packaging reduction, carbon elimination in the supply chain, and philanthropy and public events.”