Middle-class mummies who can’t get enough of Shein!

If you’re over the age of 30, you might not have even heard of the clothing label Shein. But ask your younger sister, daughter, or niece, and the chances are she is a huge fan.

The fast fashion retailer sells everything from bikinis to heels at extraordinarily low prices: tops for £1.49 and dresses for £2.49. A pair of jeans costs as little as £5.49.

These rock-bottom prices make it hugely attractive to the lucrative teenager and young adult market, which it reaches by advertising via influencers on platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. 

The strategy has proved to be a hit. Shein was recently valued at $100 billion in a recent funding round, according to the Wall Street Journal, which is more than high street giants Zara and H&M combined. 

Yet it is not just the teens and 20-somethings who find themselves drawn to Shein.

In an age where high street stores are closing and stalwarts like M&S are struggling to strike the right note, Shein gives fashionable shoppers a way to keep up with trends without breaking the bank. 

Here British women in their 30s, 40s and 50s tell FEMAIL about why they’re fully-fledged Shein converts, despite concerns over clothing quality, the ethics of fast fashion and famously long delivery times.    

Regular shoppers: Victoria James, 35, left in a £17.99 dress from the retailer, buys from Shein several times a year while Julia Champion, 53, right, picks up a piece from the Chinese-based etailer roughly once a month. Similar styles to Julia’s dress are available from £15.99

‘I buy five pieces a month!’

Mother-of-three Caroline Jackson, 50, is a psychotherapist at JacksonBonney Counselling & Wellbeing by day, and a professional singer by night. She lives in Bromley, south east London, with her three daughters, Georgia, 19, Alexia, 18, and Claudia, 12.  

Birthday bargain: Psychotherapist Caroline Jackson bought this show-stopping red wrap dress for just £15.99, which she wore on New Year’s Eve and to her 50th birthday celebrations

Not just for kids: Caroline says she was introduced to the brand after her daughters discovered it via TikTok – and now she can’t get enough. Pictured, Caroline in a pink polka dot wrap dress (similar styles available from 17.49) and an elegant purple satin number, available from £13.49

Caroline first discovered Shein at the beginning of lockdown when her daughters ordered clothes from the brand after seeing it on Tiktok. 

But now she is a fully-fledged convert, buying up to five pieces a month via the website and picking up a total of 67 pieces – worth a total of £800 – in the last year alone, including a show-stoppinng red wrap dress for her 50th birthday that cost just £15.99.

‘I like the fact that there is so much variety,’ she said. ‘Just put what you’re looking for in the search and everything you have ever dreamed of comes up at a very reasonable price.

‘I mostly buy floaty summer dresses. I also buy blazers, work trousers, swimwear, belts, tops. I even bought a little dog bed! Oh, and a long black velvet cloak for a Maleficent Halloween outfit.

Wardrobe staple: Caroline says she swears by the floaty summer dresses from Shein, like this blue midi which is available from around £14.99

Showered with compliments: Caroline said it’s always a thrill when she is complimented on a Shein dress, like the two print frocks above, saying: ‘Anyone could look good in Prada!’. Similar styles to the day-to-night snakeskin print dress (right) are available from £15.49

So nice, she bought three more! Caroline was able to buy this same midi dress with pretty ruffle detailing in four different colours in time for summer. Similar styles from £20.49

‘I don’t really buy any evening wear because it’s mostly skin-tight, spray-on booby dresses for the younger females. So I stick to other shops for that.’  

Sometimes the styles do require clever editing from Caroline to make them more age-appropriate.  

‘I bought a blazer with matching shorts once but the model was wearing a crop top in the photo,’ she explained.

‘I styled it up to suit my age with a black roll neck jumper and black tights with shoe boots and that worked for me, although my partner said I looked like a holiday rep and my daughter said I looked like a middle aged Barbie Doll!’

Before her Shein addiction, Caroline shopped at New Look, H&M, and at the e-tailers Dancing Leopard and SilkFred. ‘I loved Debenhams,’ she added. ‘I’m gutted it’s gone.’

While Caroline admits Shein clothes might not ‘last forever’ she’s found them to be good quality and is often showered with compliments when she steps out in a new buy.   

Styling it herself: Caroline comes up with ways to style the outfits in a way that makes her feel comfortable. This blazer and shorts combo, costing £28.49, was advertised with a crop top (left), but she decided to wear it with a black roll neck top (right) and boots

‘I absolutely love it when someone says ‘I like your dress’ and I say “I got it from Shein”,’ she admitted. ‘Isn’t it a compliment to look good in something that doesn’t cost much? Anyone could look good in a Prada dress! 

‘My friend’s know I love a bargain and I’m not ashamed of it. They can’t understand why I don’t wear designer stuff. Give me Shein any day.’

Caroline’s only concern is the plastic waste because each Shein item comes in its own zip-up bag and is shipped over from China.    

‘I worried about Shein being ethical and sustainable, particularly with child labour and forced labour, as the manufacturing hub was China,’ she explained.

‘I feel that I have to put my trust in our government to believe that they regularly evaluate and address these problems and make sure nothing is imported into our country without meeting certain standards. 

‘I am presuming that Shein is being closely watched considering it is one of the fastest growing companies in the world.’ 

‘I mix pieces with high street finds’ 

Beauty therapist Victoria James, 35, lives in Leeds with her partner Chris Hughes, 38, an electrician. She has two children, Elliott, 16, and Lydia, 11, stepson Finley, 10, and is pregnant.  

Mix and match: Beauty therapist Victoria James, 35, pictured in a £17.99 Shein dress at her baby shower, said she wears finds from the e-tailer with pieces from Primark and Zara

Like many mothers, Victoria always has her eyes out for a bargain, so her attention was piqued when she came across Shein on social media. 

‘I saw Shein pop up on my feed,’ she explained. ‘Then I saw a lot of influencers wearing the clothes. My 11-year-old daughter is also obsessed with Shein so I took a look.

‘I love the brand as I’m always on the hunt for bargains. Shein do high street prices with good quality items. They also do discount codes so everyone can usually get it cheaper straight away.’  

Victoria, who has almost 39,000 followers on Instagram, regularly posts ‘hauls’ from Shein – a trend where influencers buy a few pieces from a given brand then offer their honest reviews for followers. 

Dressing the family: Victoria, pictured in Shein while pregnant, says she is able to buy clothes from the entire family from the website, including pieces of maternity wear

‘I show people what’s new and then in between that I go on to find a few bits and bobs,’ she says. ‘They have some of the best random finds that you didn’t know you needed.’ 

The influencer says she thinks the clothes are good quality but ‘you get what you pay for’. ‘If I think an item might shrink in the tumble dryer I’ll air dry it instead, just like you would do with clothes from anywhere,’ she said.

Victoria usually spends around £10 an item but often shops the sales for extra money off.  

‘Between us in the house, we’ve ordered a lot from Shein,’ she says. You can’t go wrong for affordability and fashion from there. 

‘They cater for all ages, sizes. They sell fashionable clothes that are high street prices. 

Strike a pose: Victoria, pictured in a £11.49 Shein pyjama set, shares her favourite buys with followers on her YouTube channel

‘The holiday clothes are fab, including the swimwear. I recently wore a Shein dress for my baby shower. Everyone was complimenting me and asking where the dress was from. It wasn’t even maternity, just a long maxi with plenty of stretch in it.’

It’s not the first time the influencer has won praise for her pieces, which she wears with other finds from Primark and Zara. 

‘I’ve definitely turned friends onto Shein and they’ve ended up buying items too which they end up loving,’ she says.

‘A lot of friends around my age have bought a couple of maxi dresses from there, I think they look super flattering on. They realise anyone can wear their clothes.’ 

‘You have to wait a while for your goodies to be delivered’

Order in advance: Rae Radford, pictured in Shein, loves the designs but warns they can take weeks to arrive from China. Similar styles are available from £17.99

Writer Rae Radford, 59, who lives in Broadstairs, Kent, said: Nowadays the clothing market is vast, enabling women the luxury of both online shopping and the old-fashioned way of visiting boutiques and retail stores.

Lots of budget brands are available to choose from but for me, SHEIN stands out. The clothes are reasonably priced yet trendy. You get far more than what you pay for, especially with the spring/summer range.

Women realise that matching a named brand with a cheaper fashionable top helps to keep your wardrobe fluid and up to date.

As many of us pack our suitcases again (thankfully), mine will have an array of swimsuits, kimonos, dresses and shoes, many from the trend-setting brand SHEIN. 

Knowing that if I spill sun cream or sangria on them during my holiday, replacing the item won’t break the bank.

Each item comes in its own sealed bag, which is great for packing. Such a simple idea, but also a genius one.

Be warned, you do have to wait a while for your goodies to be delivered. My advice is to order at least 6 weeks in advance. 

Check out the promotion codes, I’ve never paid the full price, normally getting at least 25 – 30% off my final bill.

‘I worry about sustainability’ 

Julia Champion, 53, of Sydenham, South East London, is the owner and managing director of www.championtalent.co.uk, a management and PR agency for television presenters. TV experts, business and brands. She is married to Matt Champion, 51, who works in advertising, and the couple have two daughters, Rosanna, 15, and Isabella, 13.  

Concerns: Julia Champion, 53, right, of Sydenham, South East London, pictured wearing Shein on holiday with her daughter, admits she worries about the brand’s sustainability credentials

Like so many middle-aged women, Julia was introduced to Shein by her teenage daughters and was pleasantly surprised with what she found. 

‘I was impressed with customer service and the choice, but most of all, the price,’ she said. Now she is firmly on the Shein bandwagon and has ‘lost count’ of how many pieces she has bought. 

‘I buy from there about once a month, whether that be for my girls, or for myself, or both. I much prefer shopping online because I’m so busy and it’s quick, easy and cheap with plenty of choice. 

‘I buy everything from there – everyday clothes, holiday clothes, work essentials and pieces for special occasions.

‘I’ve had compliments on holiday dresses and swimwear that I bought on Shein and a couple of dresses I wear for work.’

A veteran of online shopping, Julia also picks up pieces from online e-tailers like Blue Vanilla, Silk Fred and This Is Unfolded, and when it comes to the High Street, she’s all about bargains from Mango, Zara and Primark. 

The mother-of-two is also no stranger to finding a must-have at the supermarkets. 

‘I get bits from George at Asda and Tu at Sainsbury’s,’ she explained.  

Julia warns the brand’s clothes aren’t always of the highest quality. For example the dresses aren’t lined and the fabrics sometimes feel a bit cheap, but says she has never had any major issues with ripped clothing or fastenings that don’t tie. 

‘It’s what I would expect for the prices,’ she added.   

‘I do worry that they are not a sustainably-led brand and that their clothes are mass produced in factories in India or China.

‘I don’t know how ethical they are in transportation and the materials they use and would like to know more.’

‘Even my gran buys from Shein’

Accountant and business owner Cheryl Hopkins, 32, from Clydebank, Glasgow, lives with her partner William, 31, and children Leila, 11, and seven-month-old son Hudson.  

Floral fancy: Accountant and business owner Cheryl Hopkins, 32, from Clydebank, Glasgow, receives plenty of compliments on these two dresses from Shein. Similar styles cost around £15.99 

‘I saw an advert one day and their clothes looked trendy but reasonable,’ Cheryl recalled. ‘I placed an order for sizing originally and they have the best fit I have found of a clothing brand, which is important being plus-size and 5ft 9in tall. 

‘It’s really affordable, especially for the kids’ clothes because they go through a lot. 

‘The quality is good for what you pay but some items can be quite flimsy. If you read the reviews first it gives you an idea, that maybe for example, a dress can be quite see-through, but I’ve had no issues so far.

‘Now my mum is a convert and shops there too – she is always telling people about it! She has just ordered her full Dubai wardrobe from Shein and she said the quality is great and the fit. 

‘Even my gran ordered some items, and she is very particular and only buys quality clothes.’