In 2019, before the pandemic hit, when holiday travel was an uncomplicated process that went from aspiration to action in one easy step, Debbie* prepared for her summer vacation by shopping online at Shein. She knew from TikTok and Instagram that the Chinese ultra-fast fashion giant was, in her words, “super cheap”. Shein seemed to perfectly match Debbie’s very specific idea of what she wanted: “Jewellery that I could wear on holiday and just throw away later.”
Three years on, Debbie isn’t so sure she do her holiday shopping at Shein again. She says she now has ethical concerns about the company, having looked at an investigation into its ultra-fast shopping ecosystem by media outlet Rest of World. Debbie’s concerns and her youth – she is finishing a bachelor’s degree at the University of London – make her a typical member of Generation Z.
The first generation of true digital natives, Gen Z loosely consists of people born between 1995 and 2010. Their “main spur to consumption”, according to a 2018 McKinsey study of Gen Z habits, is “the search for truth, in both a personal and a communal form”. This makes Gen Z more passionate than millennials about buying products from brands that align with their values. And Gen Z’s values – social and environmental justice – matter hugely to business. At 2.5 billion people, Gen Z accounts for a third of the world's population; nine out of every ten Gen Z-ers live in Asia and other emerging markets.
