New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) – Chinese fast fashion brand Shein has made a comeback in India nearly five years after being banned, this time through a partnership with Reliance Retail, one of India's largest retailers.
The Shein India Fast Fashion App, launched under Reliance Retail, has already garnered over 10,000 downloads on Google Play Store and ranks among the top 10 fashion apps on Apple's App Store. Now headquartered in Singapore, Shein continues to offer affordable and trendy fashion products, marking India as one of its fastest-growing markets.
The brand was originally banned in June 2020 by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) following rising tensions between India and China. However, in 2023, Shein struck a strategic partnership with Reliance Retail, led by Isha Ambani, daughter of billionaire Mukesh Ambani.
Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL), through its subsidiary Reliance Retail Ltd (RRL), entered a technology agreement with Singapore-based Roadget Business Pte Ltd, the entity owning Shein, to establish an indigenous e-commerce platform. This collaboration aims to develop a supply chain of local manufacturers and suppliers to produce and sell Shein-branded products both in India and internationally.
In December 2023, the government clarified in the Lok Sabha that while the Shein app remained blocked, the sale of its branded products was not prohibited. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal confirmed that after consultations between the Ministry of Textiles, MeitY, and the Ministry of Home Affairs, no objections were raised against RRVL's proposal.
Goyal also emphasized that under the agreement, the platform will remain entirely owned and controlled by RRVL through its subsidiary, ensuring that all infrastructure and platform data are hosted in India. Shein will not have any access to or control over this data.
Shein, founded in 2008, is well-known for its budget-friendly fashion, particularly popular among millennials for its trendy women’s apparel. Though officially banned along with 59 other Chinese apps in 2020 over concerns related to sovereignty and integrity, Shein's products continued to be available through global e-commerce platforms like Amazon, prompting legal discussions in the Delhi High Court.
With its new entry into the Indian market under Reliance Retail, Shein is set to re-establish its presence, leveraging local partnerships while complying with Indian regulations.
