Global online fashion retailer Shein has launched its first Australia-only fashion design competition called ‘Shein R.I.S.E. Student Designer Challenge’.
The inaugural initiative offers Australian participants a range of cash prizes as well as the opportunity to join the global Shein X Designer Incubator program.
It also follows the wrap-up of the global Shein X Challenge design competition which concluded in March 2024.
The top three designs will receive $10,000, $5,000 and $3,000 cash for first, second and third place respectively. Additionally, the winner will become a Shein X Designer and will receive mentorship and professional feedback from industry leaders, with Shein confirming that they will retain ownership of their work and earn from the sales of their designs under a commission-based model.
The Shein R.I.S.E. Student Designer Challenge calls on Australian students to sketch original designs based on the theme ‘Retro-Futurism’. Each entry can include one or more items that form a complete look and can be submitted between July 4 and July 25. Participants will retain ownership of their submitted designs.
The Challenge is free to enter and is open to any student over 18 years old who is currently enrolled in any course in an institution, college, or university in Australia – participants do not need to be enrolled in fashion-related courses.
“Shein is committed to making the business of fashion accessible by way of our flagship incubator programme,” a Shein spokesperson said. “The R.I.S.E Student Designer Challenge aims to serve as a platform for aspiring designers to showcase their looks in front of a global audience.”
As part of the judging process, the Australian public will select the finalists through an online voting system. Those votes will determine the finalists and are responsible for 30 per cent of the final judging marks.
All submissions that meet the entry requirements and criteria will be published on the Shein R.I.S.E Student Designer Challenge website from July 26 onwards, and members of the public can vote for their favourite submissions online until August 5.
The top 20 submissions, as voted for by the Australian public, will proceed to the finals of the inaugural challenge. Finalists will then participate in workshops to establish their submissions and have them shown before a panel of industry experts in a runway show, on September 13.
In September 2023, Shein announced an injection of an additional US$50 Million into the Shein X Designer Incubator Program. Since launching in January 2021, the Shein X program has grown from only seven to more than 4,600 artists and designers across over 20 countries, launching more than 41,000 original creations to a global audience.
Shein has also been pursuing a national pop-up rollout in Australia over the last year, with its latest initial push into Perth being hit with a petition to cancel.