The event, hosted at Shein’s Centre for Innovation in Garment Manufacturing (CIGM), provided third-party suppliers with an opportunity to explore a range of technical tools designed to enhance manufacturing efficiency and garment quality.
The Tools Day event featured live demonstrations and a virtual tour, allowing suppliers to engage with various innovations designed to address common challenges in fashion apparel production.
Among the showcased tools were the ‘Beaded Embroidery Seam Presser Foot’ and the ‘Bead Breaking Attachment’.
The beaded embroidery seam presser foot is designed to delicately shift beads to the side, enabling the sewing needle to pass smoothly among them.
Meanwhile, the bead breaking attachment incorporates an element that fractures the beads and a system that ejects the shattered bead pieces, facilitating automated bead detachment along the seams, explained Shein.
These two complementary tools help automate the removal of beads along seam lines, thus preserving fabric integrity and reducing the need for manual skill in working with embellished fabrics.
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By GlobalDataMore than 900 units have been implemented across supplier factories within Shein’s supply chain since their launch in 2024.
Additionally, seven new tools launched in 2025 were highlighted at the event.
These included devices aimed at simplifying the application of lace and webbing embellishments, such as the ‘Adjustable Flatbed Webbing Puller’ and the ‘Four-Thread Overlock Lace Tape Presser Foot’.
The use of these tools has reportedly enabled suppliers to cut down on manual labour by up to 80% in certain production stages.
Since CIGM’s inception in 2023, Shein has developed over 170 individual tools and supplied nearly 6,000 units to its suppliers for a fee.
The implementation of these tools is estimated to decrease the amount of manual labour needed by as much as 80% during specific production phases where the tools are applied.
Wang Feng, an evening gown supplier for Shein, said: “In the past, when we encountered styles with complex processes, we were often at a loss because there were no suitable solutions available on the market. Now, whenever we face a technical issue, Shein’s professional team responds immediately. They tailor tools for us, provide step-by-step instructional videos, and even send engineers to our factory to ensure the problem is truly solved.”
Beyond tool development, Shein’s CIGM has also focused on supplier capability-building through vocational training sessions and technical certification courses.
In 2024 alone, the centre conducted 69 training sessions for over 1,200 participants from more than 1,000 suppliers.
Additionally, 97 technical certification courses were offered, resulting in over 1,750 participants receiving certifications in areas such as quality inspection and assurance.
The CIGM also provides strategic advice to suppliers on factory site selection, layout planning, and facility design to further enhance operational efficiency.
In line with its commitment to industry collaboration for manufacturing transformation, Shein entered into strategic partnerships with Donghua University and Transfar Chemicals in the first half of 2025.
In June this year, Shein set new objectives and initiatives for 2025 aimed at improving its product compliance and quality standards.
