๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ง โ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐.
Shein is fast fashion.
Fast fashion is a big contributor to landfill problems.
Add to that the carbon emissions that goes with shipping from China.
The country of originโฆ China (don’t get me started). Do they give a #### about the environment or pay fair wages to the workers? I still doubt that.
For me it also doesn’t stop at Shein. It extends to Alibaba, Wish…
It’s too expensive to buy MADE IN SOUTH AFRICA!
Yes, it’s a little more expensive to buy locally made. There are reasons for that: price of materials, fair wages, time spent… On the other hand, you will get Africa quality (and that beats China quality every single time).
I donโt buy as much or as often and sometimes you may even find a little something imported in my basket (wink, wink about that Cherry Cola or Burt’s Bees that I so like). However, my basket now has more made in SA than ever before – from the cereal I eat to my handbag and jeans.
Not even online shops are safe from my bias. If you don’t stock SA made, I won’t buy from you. If I don’t know a brand I will Google it’s country of origin. I will hunt down the South African equivalent… I am that person.
In my mind, Africa should always look after Africa first.
If you look hard enough, you will find it here!
If you look around in South Africa, you will find what you are looking for. I love shopping at Pick n Pay clothing, Foschini and even Mr Price (and a lot of other stores) because the clothing labels have started to be dominated by that wonderful MADE IN SOUTH AFRICA label. This goes for beauty products too – because have you tried the stuff made here? I will literally always choose products from Placecol and Optiphi above anything you can buy from overseas.
I know that sometimes what you want doesn’t have that SA made label – and it’s OK to buy it. It’s even better if you buy it at a store in South Africa – for 2 reasons: bulk imports vs 10,000 individually shipped packages; that whole local economy thing where it matters that people walk through shop doors (especially now) so people can earn a living.
It’s a conscious decision
I have weighed the pros and cons of having everything cheaper or buying local quality. The pros of buying local far outweigh the pros of buying cheap imports. I consciously choose to contribute to this economy, supporting local entrepreneurs, makers and employees.
It’s a good feeling to have – because I truly believe in Africa for Africa.