Global fashion business Shein has secured a new location for its first-ever Perth pop-up following the surprising axing of its initial plan to open a pop-up at Lakeside Joondalup Shopping Centre north of Perth CBD.
The ultra-cheap online retailer is now planning to launch its Perth pop-up at the Centenary Pavilion at Claremont Showgrounds between July 5 and 7. The new location is a few kilometres south west of Perth city.
Centenary Pavilion is a venue space for hire.
“We’re committed to providing the best pop-up experience for our Perth customers, who will be ‘welcomed aboard’ Shein Air, showcasing the newest collections across Autumn/Winter selections,” a Shein spokesperson said.
Shein had initially promoted the Lakeside Joondalup pop-up earlier this month, which was slated to be the first pop-up in Perth for the online retailer, and the seventh overall in Australia. That was expected to launch on June 21 and finish up on June 23.
It is not understood why the initial pop-up was cancelled, but Lakeside Joondalup initially released a statement confirming the cancellation.
“At Lakeside Joondalup we work with a diverse range of retailers, partners and brands to provide our customers with engaging centre experiences,” the statement read. “This includes short-term pop-up activations with both local businesses and community groups as well as popular brands.
“This [Shein] activation will no longer be proceeding at Lakeside Joondalup, but we look forward to bringing other new and exciting experiences to our community soon.”
According to Shein, connecting with its customers and localising its activities are key priorities for the business in Australia.
“We've had an overwhelmingly positive response from customers when sharing news of our pop ups online, with that sentiment mirrored when people attend our pop ups,” the spokesperson said.
This priority sits among an overarching focus of making fashion accessible, with the spokesperson confirming that Shein sources products from various suppliers, manufacturers and distributors in China, Turkey and Brazil, with its latest modern slavery statement confirming the United States and Australia as other key supply countries.
“We remain committed to making the beauty of fashion accessible to all, and promoting our industry-leading, on-demand production methodology to economically meet the way consumers want to shop in the future,” the spokesperson said.
“Australia is already benefiting from our model to launch items in small initial batches of 100 to 200 items, evaluating customer feedback in real time, and restocking products that are in demand. For some customers, this means purchasing items that are unique and have seen very small production.”
These pop-up activations follow a recently signed partnership deal with Alice McCall, which the Shein spokesperson said involved the use of recycled textiles and the repurposing of excess fabrics into new designs.