Fast fashion giant Shein had announced through a media PR campaign that it’ll be coming to Lakeside Joondalup on the 21st of June for a 3 day pop-up.
However, it was quick to withdraw the announcement and cancel plans for the pop-up after they were reminded by their lawyers that they must actually pay staff a living wage in Australia.
A spokesperson for Shein told The Times that the Chinese retailer was devastated that this got past their due diligence. Admitting that paying people who work for them really isn’t something they think about much. Adding,
“We asked Australian regulators if $10AUD a day would cut it. They told us no and that Australia had a minimum wage of around $900AUD per WEEK. We told them we were going to li kai ASAP”
The move comes as a blow to all the eager Perth employees who were keen to exchange their time for a 5% discount on some of the flimsiest pieces of shit known to mankind.
Not everyone is happy the sweatshop empire left the shores of Perth however.
We spoke to Latarsha who said she couldn’t have broken into the world of plugging skinny tea via TikTok without Shein,
“OMG you know what’s faster than fast fashion? Not having to wait on delivery. I could have totally just gone into the store to get a new fit. Thanks to Shein I’ve never worn the same garment twice”
A loss for Perth and a loss for Mother Nature, no doubt.
Further reading : Shein abandons Perth pop-up after being reminded they have to pay staff