On Saturday, April 1, SHEIN, the global e-retailer of fashion, beauty and lifestyle products, hosted the company’s first-ever SHEIN X Design Summit, which gathered hundreds of artists and designers, as well as industry leaders, at City Market Social House in Los Angeles, California. The event celebrated independent designers and encouraged them to leverage the company’s flagship incubator program, SHEIN X, to take their businesses to the next level, no matter their level of experience. Since the program’s launch, 1,500 aspiring designers from the U.S. have been empowered through SHEIN X, and the company is looking to onboard 500 more in the U.S. in 2023.
“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 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; Gary Wassner, CEO of Hilldun Corporation; Evette, co-founder of Act of Faith and founder of EXO Cosmetics; Racquel Natasha, influencer, designer and founder of Natasia swimwear; and Josephine Skriver, model and co-founder of JOJA. There was also a performance from The Future X, where the group announced each member will be partnering with a SHEIN X designer to launch their own capsule collection on SHEIN’s platform.
Attendees onsite had the opportunity to connect with stylists, merchandisers, buyers, influencers and other industry professionals, including top performing SHEIN X designers Armand Medhiri, Kenya Freeman and Valerie Campbell of Freak City, who shared their personal experiences with the program and advice for other aspiring creatives.
“Keep going, keep going, keep going,” said Freeman, who launched her first collection with SHEIN X in 2021. “For me, my career has been a long road, with a lot of twists and turns, but when you wake up each day and know you’re doing what you’re here to do, there’s nothing like it. The SHEIN X program has opened so many doors for me, and I’ve never been more excited for what’s ahead.”
More than 20 SHEIN X designers from around the world also showcased their personal collections at the summit. Following the showcase, SHEIN X designers Danielle Brion, Veronica Diaz Montalvo and Jade Breyon were chosen for a previously announced mentorship opportunity with Kim, while SHEIN X designer Francesca Lazzari was chosen for a mentorship program with Reilly.
From just seven designers when the program launched in January 2021, the SHEIN X incubator program has grown to almost 3,000 designers globally, launching more than 25,000 original creations. SHEIN has invested more than $55 million into the program and guides participants through the end-to-end process, from product development, to manufacturing, to marketing and supply chain logistics. Importantly, 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.
All of the SHEIN X Design Summit panels were livestreamed on the SHEIN app, as well as SHEIN’s official Instagram and TikTok accounts. Video recordings of the panels can be found below and photos from the summit can be found here.
