Shein and Reliance Retail plan to expand their supplier network in India and start exporting Shein-branded clothing made in India within six to 12 months, according to sources.

The initiative aims to increase the number of Indian suppliers from 150 to 1,000 within a year.

The e-commerce platform, founded in China and based in Singapore, re-entered the Indian market in February 2025 under a licensing agreement with Reliance Retail.

Unlike its global sites, Shein’s Indian website offers locally manufactured clothing.

This partnership comes as Shein seeks to diversify its supply chain due to US tariffs on low-value e-commerce imports from China.

Initial exports of India-made clothing will likely target Shein’s US and UK websites. However, timelines may depend on supplier.

🔗 Source: Reuters

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Geopolitical tensions reshaping global fashion supply chains

Shein’s ambitious supplier expansion in India—from 150 to 1,000 factories within a year—represents a significant shift in global fashion manufacturing prompted by geopolitical pressures.

The plan to export India-made Shein-branded clothing to international markets within 6-12 months shows how rapidly companies are reconfiguring supply chains in response to trade tensions.

While the article notes these discussions began before recent US tariffs on Chinese imports, the 25% duty on previously duty-free e-commerce packages has accelerated the urgency to diversify beyond Shein’s 7,000 Chinese suppliers.

This represents a potential manufacturing windfall for India, which is positioning itself as an alternative production hub as global brands seek to reduce dependence on Chinese manufacturing.

The partnership allows Shein to maintain its ultra-fast fashion business model while navigating geopolitical complexities, a trend increasingly common among multinational retailers seeking to balance cost, speed, and political risk.

2️⃣ India’s strategic approach to foreign e-commerce: ban, then partner

Shein’s trajectory in India—from market entry in 2018 to government ban in 2020 to return via domestic partnership in 2024—illustrates India’s distinctive regulatory approach to foreign digital platforms.