Shein hosts Design Summit for aspiring designers and artists

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Apr 7, 2023

Online fast-fashion retailer Shein hosted earlier this month the company's first-ever Design Summit, at City Market Social House in Los Angeles, California. 

The day-long summit featured designer-dedicated programming and networking opportunities, including panels with LaQuan Smith, designer and founder of LaQuan Smith; Laura Kim, co-creative director at Monse; Maeve Reilly, celebrity stylist; and Josephine Skriver, model and co-founder of Joja, among others. 

Attendees onsite had the opportunity to connect with stylists, merchandisers, buyers, influencers and other industry professionals, including top performing Shein X designers. There was also a performance from The Future X, who will partner with a Shein X designer to launch their own capsule collection on Shein's platform.

"The idea for this summit came from Shein X designers themselves," George Chiao, Shein's U.S. president, said at the event. 

"We're always looking for feedback from our designers, and several wanted an educational opportunity where they could come together, get to know one another, and learn more about how to build their brands – all while having some fun. We hope we delivered on that today, and we'll continue to identify ways to empower Shein X designers and improve their experience with the program.”

The event follows the launch of the Shein X incubator program, in January 2021. The program has expanded from seven designers to almost 3,000 designers globally and has launched more than 25,000 original creations. Looking ahead, the company is looking to onboard 500 more in the U.S. in 2023.

Shein has invested more than $55 million into the program, which guides participants through the end-to-end process of a fashion brand, from product development, to manufacturing, to marketing and supply chain logistics. 

Shein X designers maintain ownership rights to their Shein X designs. Since the launch of Shein X, Shein X artists and designers around the world have earned over $5 million in commission from the sale of Shein X products.