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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tStudents at Barbara Goleman Senior High will showcase designs they created in their fashion marketing class via a partnership with Shein.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tStudents at Barbara Goleman Senior High will showcase designs they created in their fashion marketing class via a partnership with Shein.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Shein ph<\/p>\n
Later this month, students at Barbara Goleman Senior High will strut down an auditorium runway to showcase designs they created in their fashion<\/a> marketing class. The show is meant to celebrate the young students\u2019 talent and craftsmanship.<\/p>\n But behind the spotlights and polyester is a partnership with a company that has courted controversy in the past: ultra-fast fashion giant Shein.<\/p>\n The Singapore-based retailer \u2014 long criticized for environmental damage<\/a>, labor exploitation<\/a>, and selling problematic items like swastika necklaces<\/a> \u2014 will once again partner with the high school to put on its fashion show.<\/p>\n According to a press release from Shein, the company will \u201csupport the showcase by providing clothes and accessories that complement and enhance the students\u2019 original designs.\u201d The grand-prize winner is set to receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Shein\u2019s Los Angeles headquarters, while other students will take home Shein gift cards.<\/p>\n In a statement to New Times, Shein spokesperson Remy Campbell said that the company\u2019s relationship with the high school began in early 2024, when a student reached out to the brand and invited it to speak to her school\u2019s newly formed fashion marketing class about the industry.<\/p>\n Campbell said the company \u201cimmediately connected with the students and [was] inspired by their passion, creativity, and talent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe partnership aligns with\u00a0Shein\u2019s mission to make fashion accessible to all, while providing students with meaningful real-world exposure, resources, and mentorship opportunities,\u201d Campbell told New Times via email. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to continue partnering with the school and building on this momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Manuel Sanchez, the principal at Barbara Goleman High School, did not respond to emailed questions from New Times about why the school chose to partner with Shein and whether concerns about fast fashion, labor practices, or environmental impact were discussed during the planning process.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Miami-Dade County Schools did not respond to New Times\u2018 request for comment about the school district\u2019s involvement with the partnership.<\/p>\n Over the past several years, Shein has partnered with colleges across the United States in what some critics have described as an attempt to \u201cgreenwash,\u201d or rehab, its environmentally problematic image.<\/p>\n \u201cShein\u2019s prime target market is Gen Z,\u201d\u00a0Sheng Lu<\/a>, a professor of fashion and apparel studies at the University of Delaware, told\u00a0Forbes<\/a>. \u201c[It] may feel that having a partnership with a university may make them more appealing to their customers.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2022, Indiana University became the first American university to partner with Shein for a program that would teach students about international business and commerce. But just months after the school proudly announced the partnership was a \u201cnatural fit,\u201d it quietly cut ties with Shein after students voiced concerns over the company\u2019s labor practices.<\/p>\n The following year, Shein announced that it would partner with the Fashion Institute of Design & Manufacturing in Los Angeles to give 12 students a $40,000\u00a0scholarship<\/a>\u00a0to the school. Students like Lexy Silverstein were outraged<\/a> over the partnership, calling the move \u201chypocritical and shocking\u201d for one of the\u00a0world\u2019s top sustainable fashion schools<\/a>.<\/p>\n