Chinese immigrants in the U.K. are assisting the success of fast fashion giants by converting extra home space into pop-up warehouses.

What's happening?

Fast fashion brands are utilizing pop-up warehouses to support their importing demand to the U.K. The demand for warehouse space is so high that Chinese immigrants are taking on side hustles to work for brands like Temu, TikTok Shop, Ali Express, and Shein.

"Demand from Chinese exporters is so strong, I've had to start turning people away," Kevin Zhang told the South China Morning Post. 

Zhang noticed an increase in the popularity of shopping apps earlier this year and decided to convert unused space in his home into a processing center for orders from Chinese exporters. He charges £1 per parcel and earns roughly £2,000 a month.

Independent distribution partners, like Zhang, have been in higher demand since the end of the de minimis exemption in the U.S. With the increase in tariffs from the U.S., Shein and Temu increased their ad spend in Europe. The result was a 25% increase in app downloads for Shein and more than 100% increase in downloads for Temu in the U.K. alone.

Why are fast fashion pop-up warehouses important?

While there is an increase in demand for distributors as a result of the marketing spend, Chinese exporters are taking advantage of the income inequality in the U.K. by offering these roles at a lower rate than the previous industry standard.

"Temu, Shein, TikTok, they've all grown incredibly fast in the U.K.," e-commerce labeling worker Emily Yin told The Post. She has been in her role since 2022 and used to earn £3 per order, preparing orders for Amazon warehouses. "My income is down to 30 to 40 per cent of what it used to be."

Besides the lack of ethics around lowering industry rates, brands like Shein are notorious for overproducing inventory, launching 2,000 to 10,000 new pieces every day on the site. When 100 billion garments are produced every year, and 92 million tons of them end up in landfills, according to Earth.org, an increase in these businesses is unsustainable for the planet.

What can you do to help the fight against fast fashion?

Just as an increase in demand can make these brands successful, a decrease in demand worldwide can have a significant impact. Instead of choosing new fast fashion pieces that do not last longer than a few wears, consider shopping at vintage and secondhand stores, where you are likely to find longer-lasting pieces in better materials and at equally low prices.

Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics? Giving me money back 💰 Letting me trade for new stuff 👕 Making it as easy as possible ⚡ Keeping my stuff out of landfills 🗑️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.