by Jeroslyn JoVonn
November 28, 2023
The SHEIN X incubator program is amplifying Black-owned fashion brands through collaborative collections available on SHEIN.
The SHEIN X incubator program is doing its part in amplifying Black-owned fashion brands through collaborative collections available on SHEIN.
Founded in 2021, the SHEIN X Designer Incubator Program empowers creativity by guiding independent fashion designers and artists through the process that brings their ideas to life – from product development to manufacturing, to marketing and supply chain logistics. Since its launch, nearly 3,000 designers and artists from around the world have been able to leverage SHEIN’s resources to sell their original creations to SHEIN’s global audiences.
In September, SHEIN announced an investment of an additional $50 million into the SHEIN X program over the next five years. This brings the company’s total investment to $105 million through 2028.
On the heels of the announcement, SHEIN welcomed BLACK ENTERPRISE to One Music Fest in Atlanta where we met with designer Lauren Flagg of Obviously Vintage to learn firsthand how SHEIN X has helped take her brands to the next level.
For Flagg, the North Carolina native relocated to Atlanta to pursue a career in fashion design after graduating from the Art Institute of Raleigh-Durham in 2017. In 2018, she founded her streetwear brand, Obviously Vintage, which is dedicated to promoting eco-friendly fashion.
Inspired by nostalgic designs from the 1980s and 90s, Flagg makes designs around her teenage and young adult years thrifting and repurposing clothes. Along with serving on the design team at Milano Di Rouge, Flagg joined the SHEIN X program earlier this year after being selected along with five other U.S.-based SHEIN X designers to create the first SHEIN X collections under evoluSHEIN by Design. SHEIN’s product initiative is aimed at accelerating the use of preferred materials and scaling responsible manufacturing processes.
“I designed these pieces based on getting multiple wares out of them and styling them different ways,” she tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. “All of the materials are recycled polyester fabric so it’s very breathable, very lightweight.”
“I just wanted this collection to be comfortable where women can feel confident,” she added. “And I also made it around my tall girlies because you know some things come in short so I made them extra long and extra comfortable for them to fit all body types.”
As for how SHEIN X has helped scale her brand, Flagg is experiencing a global reach she could only dream of.
“I’ve seen people in France wearing my pieces and I was just like, oh my god, that’s somebody in Paris right now,” she exclaimed. “It’s just like an amazing thing to reach so many people worldwide.”
