Mukesh Ambani and his daughter Isha Ambani are leading Shein’s return to India through Reliance Retail. The Chinese fast-fashion giant, known for its affordable women’s western wear, is launching a pilot program on Reliance’s Ajio platform, nearly four and a half years after being banned in the country.
Shein is currently testing its collection on Ajio and may expand to other platforms in the future. However, no fixed timeline has been set for a full-scale launch. Now headquartered in Singapore, Shein will directly compete with Tata Group’s Zudio and Flipkart-owned Myntra in India’s growing affordable fashion market. This re-entry follows a partnership signed last year with Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd, which aims to bring Shein’s products back to Indian consumers.
Shein’s operations in India were banned in June 2020 by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) as part of a larger crackdown on over 50 Chinese apps. The move was a response to escalating tensions over the India-China border dispute.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal recently confirmed that Shein’s operations would be hosted entirely on an indigenous platform with infrastructure based in India. He clarified that Shein would have no access to the platform’s data. The Ministry of Textiles, along with MeitY and the Ministry of Home Affairs, raised no objections to Reliance Retail’s proposal to bring back the fast-fashion brand.
Globally, Shein’s growth has slowed as it prepares for a stock market listing in London. The company reported a 23% revenue growth rate in the first half of this year, compared to 40% the previous year. Meanwhile, India’s fast-fashion market is projected to surpass $50 billion by FY31, with fast fashion contributing 25-30% to the overall fashion retail sector, according to Redseer Strategy Consultants.
This collaboration also aims to create a network of local manufacturers and suppliers to produce and sell Shein-branded products, making the brand’s comeback in India a strategic move in one of the world’s fastest-growing fashion markets.
