Vancouver Fashion Week is facing a torrent of backlash from jarred designers after it quietly announced last month it would be adding ultra fast-fashion brand Shein to its 2025 line-up.
The annual event, running from April 8 through 13, promptly removed the brand from its roster after outrage sparked online, but the discreet withdrawal has done little in the way of alleviating the pain for an industry left reeling.
“When Shein was first introduced into the lineup, I think there was just an overwhelming sense of confusion,” says Vancouver designer Heather Jude, owner and founder of event wear brand Jude.
Bewilderment gave way to a “heavy cloud of disappointment,” she says, as designers began to wonder why the event, which touts itself as an advocate for local, independent designers, would champion a global brand with such a tarnished reputation.
Since its founding in 2008, the affordable, online retailer has faced escalating controversy over its labour practices, environmental impact, alleged poor quality of product and potential theft of designs from other, lesser-known brands.
So implausible was the addition that Jessica Halabi, a fashion designer based out of Edmonton, says the industry began wondering whether the addition was a joke. Had it been included purposely to spark conversation surrounding environmentalism and sustainability? Was it, laughs Halabi, an early April Fools gag?
”So many designers and people in the industry – models, hair stylists, makeup artists, stylists, photographers – saw Shein and were just boggled. A lot of people were skeptical,” she says.
“This was supposed to be a space for independent designers. Why is a fast-fashion, mass-manufactured brand given this space to be a part of the show?”
Halabi, whose eponymous brand specializes in custom formal and bridal gowns, speculates that financial gain was the motive behind VFW’s appointment of the fast-fashion juggernaut.
She says she has been approached by the event numerous times over the years, but has continuously declined to showcase her designs due to the unaffordable cost of participating.
“Just last year, they approached me to show with them, but I was scared off by their designer fees,” she says, adding that the price point was around “six or seven” times the amount requested by organizers of other notable fashion shows across the country.
“That’s another element to this whole thing: They approach so many young, fresh, new designers who believe that this is going to be their big break at Vancouver Fashion Week, and they charge them quite a lot of money to be there,” she says.
“Showing Shein is just very exploitative.”
For designers who have struggled to rouse recognition in an industry that already prioritizes the work of larger, international brands, the inclusion of the polarizing fashion company felt like being kicked while already down.
Despite the inclusive, locally focused stance touted by industry bigwigs, Halabi says many Canadian fashion shows still tend to only highlight boutique clothing from European designers, and Canadian stylists still choose creatives from overseas over designers or brands from their own country.
“There aren’t many outlets even in our own publishing (industry). They’re all now monopolized by European designers who pay them top dollar to be advertised in their magazines,” she says.
“So, when I see places like Vancouver Fashion Week showing Shein, it’s such a blow to our local industry that is already being so unsupported. It’s hurtful.”
As the industry continues to overlook local talent, independent designers in B.C. are turning the proverbial on its head and holding their own smaller-scale shows in an “if you can’t join them, beat them” style response.
Jude says the voice that presented itself at Vancouver Fashion Week this year was the “final push” she needed to stop chasing the support of the organization and instead go her own direction. With VFW’s decision still leaving a sour taste in the whole industry’s mouth, the rallying of fashion comrades for her own show has been bigger than it would have ever been previously.
“Vancouver has a great community of creatives, and our industry really prides itself on supporting one another and shopping local,” she says.
“You can’t really change (VFW’s) decision in this, but hopefully the reaction to everything just shows how wonderful a community that really is.”
When contacted for comment, a spokesperson from Vancouver Fashion Week said the event and Shein had “mutually decided” not to proceed with the planned runway presentation for this season.
In the brief statement, the spokesperson didn’t specify what drove organizers to include the brand – or subsequently drop it from the line up – only that its focus this season is on “celebrating Canadian designers.”
“We remain open to future opportunities that align with our mission to support diverse voices in fashion,” the statement said.
Shein has not responded to a request for comment.
