Reliance Retail Relaunches Shein in India with New App

Reliance Retail has reintroduced the Chinese fast fashion brand Shein this weekend, nearly five years after it was banned in India due to diplomatic tensions between India and China. Following a two-month test launch on its fashion app, Ajio, Reliance has now made Shein available on a standalone app, which can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play Store.

ET first reported Reliance's plans to bring Shein back to India in its July 4 edition last year, and later covered the test launch of the Chinese fashion label in its December 24 edition.

Shein, now based in Singapore, is selling affordable fast fashion in India. Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd had signed a partnership with Shein two years back to sell its in India. Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal had said last month in a written reply in the Lok Sabha that at all times, an indigenous retail platform for Shein will be hosted with Shein having no access to, or rights over, data. He had also said that the ministry of textiles, after consultation with MeitY and the ministry of home affairs, had no objection to Reliance Retail’s proposal. Goyal had added that Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd has signed a technology agreement with Roadget Business Pte Ltd to develop an indigenous ecommerce retail platform, and stated that the platform would create a network of local manufacturers and suppliers to manufacture and sell products under the brand name Shein.

A report by consulting firm Redseer Strategy Consultants predicts that the Indian fast fashion market will surpass $50 billion in sales by FY31. The report also forecasts that fast fashion will account for 25-30% of the overall fashion retail market in India by FY31.

Shein operates in over 150 countries and has more than 250 million followers on social media, according to its website. In 2023, the retailer reported profits exceeding $2 billion and a gross merchandise value close to $45 billion.