‘Amazon and Shein sell the same clothes’: Shoppers say SHEIN is selling the exact same products as Zara, Alo, Lululemon under a different brand. Then a customer puts it to the test

‘I ordered a bag from Shein that came with a Zara label.’

A TikToker is testing the rumor that SHEIN is selling the exact same clothing as other popular brands. How did she do it? By ordering different pairs of pants that were nearly identical on Zara and SHEIN, and comparing the two. 

TikTok content creator Emma Lightbown (@emma_lightbown), who hosts the Off The Hanger podcast and makes style content, says she saw a post on Facebook saying that Zara and SHEIN were selling the exact same pieces and using the same manufacturers. Intrigued, she decided to make a two-part TikTok series where she ordered a piece from SHEIN’s “Maija” collection and compared it to a very similar piece she ordered from Zara.

Her initial post asking the question as to whether Zara and SHEIN have identical manufacturers got 1.1 million views. Then, her follow-up got over 100,000. 

Lightbown’s Test: Are Zara and SHEIN Clothes the Same?

Lightbown decided to order two pairs of pants—one from the “Maija” collection, which has been rumored to be SHEIN’s identical “Zara dupe” line, and one directly from Zara. She chose to order two pairs of trousers with an elastic band for comparison. 

Lightbown says she immediately noticed some big differences when they came in the mail. The pants, as she pointed out, were made from completely different material compositions. The pair of trousers from Zara was made from 62% polyester with 33% viscose, along with other materials. In comparison, the pair from SHEIN was made from 97% polyester. 

Lightbrown also compared the hemming for the two pairs of pants. According to her, the Zara pair had a significantly cleaner presentation, while the pair from SHEIN had a “raw overlock.” 

“The quality is not very nice. The fabric is not nice,” Lightbrown said while holding the SHEIN pair in her hands. She then showed her audience the Zara pair for comparison. “Comparing that to the Zara pair … The stitching’s much better. The fabric quality’s much better. The way that they drape and hang is nicer.”

Lightbrown bought the SHEIN pair for £8.40 and the Zara pair for £29.99, which roughly convert to $11.15 and $39.81, respectively. Lightbrown felt the SHEIN pants were much worse than the ones she purchased at Zara, so she recommended going for the pricier version, even if it was double or triple the cost.

How Else Do Zara and SHEIN Compare?

Both Zara and SHEIN are fast fashion suppliers, meaning they can create and display clothing within a manner of weeks. Online blogs and publications, however, have described them as having very different supply structures. 

Zara’s suppliers can make a piece of clothing from idea to execution within three weeks, using a network of a reported 1,800 suppliers and 7,200 factories from countries across the world. 

In contrast, SHEIN has around 185 verified suppliers that are primarily located in China. The company doesn’t rely on suppliers from different companies to provide different types of products; instead, it opts to create pretty much every product within a few centralized geographical areas. 

Do Zara and SHEIN Share Suppliers?

There is a possibility that Zara and SHEIN share some suppliers, although this isn’t confirmed. It also doesn’t mean that Zara and SHEIN have the same products. 

What’s more likely is that what Lightbrown said in her video was true: SHEIN simply adopts clothing styles based on other companies, effectively copying brands. Because it also follows a fast-fashion model, it can quickly reproduce clothing from other popular companies like Lululemon, Alo, and Zara. 

But SHEIN’s factories frequently use materials that are significantly lower quality. Lightbrown wasn’t the first to notice that SHEIN uses higher percentages of materials like polyester when duping products. According to one report published by Reuters, polyester represented 75% of the fibers used in SHEIN-branded products in 2023. That figure only increased in 2024 to 81.5%. Despite promises to reduce polyester usage by 2030, SHEIN shoppers still frequently notice that their purchased products are entirely made of polyester. 

Are People Going to Continue Buying SHEIN Anyway?

Despite this, many people argued that it was still worth it to purchase the SHEIN products and that they were dupes for other products. Glowmode, another SHEIN brand, proved popular among commenters.

“Glowmode is absolutely worth it. Same or better than current Lulu, Alo and Athleta,” one commenter said. 

“Both are selling crap. But if I’m buying crap, I want to pay less,” a second viewer added. 

And while Lightbrown pointed out SHEIN’s unethical manufacturing practices, it doesn’t seem like some viewers are going to stop their SHEIN hauls anytime soon.

We’ve reached out to Lightbrown via email and TikTok direct message. We’ve also reached out to Zara via email and SHEIN via its official press form for comment. We’ll let you know if they respond.

@emma_lightbown Zara pieces at Shein prices?! This rumour keeps popping up so I thought I’d find out if it’s actually true! Follow me for the results! #zara #shein #zaradupes #fashionrumour ♬ original sound – Emma Lightbown

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