Mukesh and Isha Ambani to Redefine Global Fashion with India-Made Shein Apparel
Reliance Retail aims to onboard 1000 Indian suppliers to position India as Shein’s global manufacturing hub
Mukesh Ambani and his daughter Isha Ambani are gearing up to disrupt the global fashion industry by transforming India into a key manufacturing hub for Shein, the popular online fast fashion brand.
Shein’s strategic return to India through Reliance
After being banned in 2020 due to India-China border tensions, Shein re-entered the Indian market in early 2024 through a partnership with Reliance Retail, now led by Isha Ambani.
- The brand, now based in Singapore, resumed operations via the SheinIndia.in platform.
- With over 2.7 million downloads, the Shein India app is among the fastest-growing fashion apps in the country.
Scaling up local production with Indian manufacturers
Reliance Retail currently works with 150 garment manufacturers and is in talks with 400 more, aiming to scale up to nearly 1000 suppliers by the end of 2025.
- The goal is to mass-produce Shein apparel in India for both domestic and international markets.
- This initiative aligns with global shifts in supply chains, particularly as US-China trade tensions push retailers to diversify beyond China.
A new export frontier for Indian-made fashion
In a strategic export push, Reliance is preparing to ship Shein-branded clothes made in India to the US and UK within the next 6 to 12 months.
- This could mark a major milestone in India’s emergence as a global fashion manufacturing hub.
- For Shein, this shift underscores a complete pivot from its China-centric model to an India-first supply strategy.
Economic and industrial significance
This move benefits not just Shein and Reliance, but the broader Indian textile and apparel ecosystem.
- It’s a powerful step toward boosting domestic employment, empowering SMEs, and enhancing India’s global manufacturing credibility.
Reliance and Shein’s collaboration, under Isha Ambani’s stewardship, is poised to place India at the heart of global fashion supply chains, redefining the way affordable, trend-driven fashion is sourced and sold worldwide.
