Fast fashion giant SHEIN is under fire for selling “sexy” clothing and padded bikinis designed for girls as young as six months.
The Chinese retailer has become a top shopping destination for many in recent years, selling items at incredibly cheap prices and shipping to over 150 countries.
However, parents have criticized the manufacturer for its children’s range, which includes dresses and swimsuits that some consider inappropriate.
A teal velvet dress can be purchased for £7.49, with a sweetheart neckline, fitted fit and ruched details, for girls aged eight to 12.
The young model who appears on the website is leaning on a table with her chest out in a suggestive manner.
SHEIN Tween Girl’s Velvet Fitted Silhouette Dress for Ages 8-12 is £7.49
Meanwhile, a figure-flattering sequin dress for £5.49, with one-shoulder detail and a hot pink hue, is available for girls aged six months to three years.
And a range of padded bikinis is also marketed for girls of the same age.
These designs include vibrant color combinations, fun motifs, ruffles, and cutouts that give the impression that they are intended for adults.
Some of the child models have completed their outfits with heart-shaped sunglasses and a coconut in hand.
One amazed US-based shopper, who goes by the handle @Cathyrn24 on TikTok, shared screenshots of SHEIN’s website and explained: “I was looking at SHEIN toddler dresses and I can’t believe these are even a option.
“One review was ‘sexy and cute’ – that’s literally a boy.”
The brand offers countless mini dresses, with cleavage and lots of legs, to its youngest customers.
Cathyrn continued: “Disbelieving parents are actually buying this for their children.”
A young woman models a silver bodysuit and a pleated leather miniskirt on the brand’s website.
EVRYDAY Girl’s Summer Set Ribbed Short Sleeve T-shirt and Ruched High Waist Bodycon Skirt for Kids is £6.49
SHEIN offers a range of swimsuits featuring removable padding for girls
SHEIN Puff Sleeve One-Shoulder Sequin Dress is available for girls ages six months to three years.
SHEIN offers feather-laden shirt and skirt set for £8.99 for girls ages 4-12
The selection of form-fitting clothing included a halter dress with bow front and fuzzy trim, which cost £5.49 and was reminiscent of the racy Christmas outfits worn during the Jingle Bell Rock scene in the 2004 film Mean Girls.
The Chinese company, valued at around £53bn, has gained global recognition and acquired many of its rivals, including Missguided, last October.
It is currently the 11th largest clothing retailer in the UK and is forecast to rise to sixth place by 2027.
Other items in the children’s clothing range include a figure-flattering ruffle trim one-shoulder dress in red, £5.99, a houndstooth print puff sleeve belted dress, £9.49 and a Barbie-style one-shoulder sequin dress, £5.49; all available for girls. From six months to three years of age.
There are also a number of skimpy sets on sale, including the Off-the-Shoulder Ruffle Hem Top and Skirt, £7.99, and the Twist Front Tank and Button Detail Split Hem Skirt, £6 .99, on offer for girls from youth. like four.
SHEIN dominates online clothing shopping, having overtaken rivals Zara and H&M for the top spot.
The brand launches over 6,000 new products on its website every day, and they usually cost less than £10 each.
Using teams of designers and complex algorithms that look for microtrends on social media, you can have new styles on sale in less than a week.
This bright red outfit looks like it was designed for adults.
One shopper, who goes by the handle @Cathyrn24 on TikTok, shared her disbelief while browsing the SHEIN website.
Girls aged four to seven can opt for this lilac ruched mini dress which costs £4.99
The company, founded by Xu Yangtian in 2008, has been affiliated with several celebrities, including Katy Perry, Rita Ora, Hailey Bieber and Khloe Kardashian.
However, this is not the first time the clothing giant has come under fire.
Last December, the company pledged to invest £12m to improve standards at its suppliers’ factories after admitting working hours at two sites breached rules.
The group said an independent investigation, launched after allegations of workplace abuse made in a Channel 4 documentary, had found that employees at two of its Chinese sites were working longer hours than allowed by local regulations.
In January, Uniqlo announced it would sue controversial Chinese fast fashion retailer SHEIN for claiming it is selling fake knockoffs of its shoulder bag.
Since its introduction in April 2022, Uniqlo’s popular mini round shoulder bag has been featured in viral videos on social media for its surprisingly large capacity.
As such, it has been compared to the infinitely large magic carpet bag carried by Mary Poppins in the 1964 film of the same name.
While the Uniqlo bag sells for £14.90, very similar looking bags are listed at SHEIN for £5.
Uniqlo’s parent company, Fast Retail, said on Tuesday that a petition had been filed in a Tokyo court against SHEIN Japan and two of its subsidiaries on December 28.
Justifying its complaint, Fast Retailing said that “the imitation products sold by SHEIN closely resemble their own product.”
A SHEIN spokesperson said the company “respects the intellectual property rights of others and takes all claims of infringement seriously.” “We are currently investigating this matter.”