Shein, Reliance 'plan to sell India-made clothes abroad'

Fashion retailer Shein and partner Reliance Retail plan to rapidly expand their Indian supplier base and start overseas sales of India-made Shein-branded clothes within six to 12 months, said two people with knowledge of the matter.

- DHWANI PANDYA HELEN REID

The China-founded, Singapore-headquartered e-commerce firm has been discussing plans with the Indian retailer since before the US imposed tariffs on Chinese imports that intensified the need to diversify sourcing, the people said. The aim is to raise the number of Indian suppliers to 1,000 from 150 within a year, they said.

In a statement to Reuters, Shein said it licensed its brand for use in India. Reliance did not respond to queries.

Shein sells low-priced apparel such as $5 dresses and $10 jeans shipped directly from 7,000 suppliers in China to customers in around 150 countries. Its biggest market is the US, where it is adjusting to tariffs on low-value e-commerce packages from China that were previously imported duty-free.

The retailer launched in India in 2018 but its app was banned in 2020 as part of government action against China-linked firms amid border tension with its northeastern neighbour.

It returned in February under a licensing deal with the Reliance Industries unit that launched SheinIndia.in, selling Shein-branded clothes produced in local factories. In contrast, Shein’s other websites mainly list goods from China.