Australian designer Alice McCall hits back at furious critics slamming her ‘big comeback’ with fast fashion label Shein as ’embarrassing’

Collapsed designer fashion label Alice McCall has faced criticism after announcing it would be revived through a partnership with Chinese fast fashion giant Shein.

Although the Australian brand believes the comeback will attract a “wider audience”, “embarrassed” and “devastated” fans have slammed the decision, saying it goes against everything the company stands for.

Responding to the backlash, founder Alice McCall told FEMAIL: “Everyone has the right to express their opinion.

“I’m just really focused on launching this collection that I really believe in.”

The label was founded in 2004 but struggled during the Covid-19 pandemic before filing for bankruptcy in February, owing $1 million to creditors.

The pieces were regularly seen on red carpets and in high fashion editorials for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle and the brand was loved for what many described as its ‘playful sensibility’.

Following the announcement on Monday, fans flocked to Instagram and X to share their thoughts and shock

On X, someone wrote: ‘Absolutely devastating to see what has become of Alice McCall’

Another said she is ‘absolutely devastated’

Following the announcement on Monday, fans flocked to Instagram and X to share their thoughts.

‘Alice McCall x Shein is so embarrassing. Why would you target your own brand like that?’ wrote one.

“A bankrupt designer decides to work with a sweatshop factory,” says another.

“Absolutely devastating to see what has become of Alice McCall,” a third added on X.

On Instagram, one commenter wrote: ‘The Alice McCall brand is making one of the most disappointing moves in a desperate attempt to make money. The icing on the cake is that you have to disable comments on the Instagram post an hour after posting.”

Another said they were ‘shocked and outraged’ by the decision.

Speaking of the reactions, Ms McCall (pictured) told FEMAIL ‘everyone has the right to express their opinion’. “I’m just really focused on launching this collection that I really believe in,” she said

However, Ms McCall said: ‘This collaboration will give a whole new audience, who may not have been able to afford an Alice McCall piece in the past, the chance to buy a piece that is as good as anything I have created before. .

‘One of my principles as a designer is to make clothes that last and I have adopted this philosophy in the pieces in this collection.

‘A highlight for me with this collection was that for the first time in my twenty years as a designer I was able to work with rescued fabrics and also used recycled polyester in this collection.’

“This collaboration will give a whole new audience, who may not have been able to afford an Alice McCall piece in the past, the opportunity to buy a piece that is as good as anything I have created before,” Ms McCall said.

The collection launches on November 16 in Australia, New Zealand and the US with prices ranging from $15 for a bralette to $120 for a dress

“I have always resonated with the idea that my designs can become achievable for a wider audience, so when the opportunity to collaborate with SHEIN arose, I felt like I could turn this vision into reality,” added Ms. McCall .

‘A highlight for me was that I was able to work with rescued fabrics for the first time in my twenty years as a designer and also used recycled polyester in this collection.

“The styles feel fresh, elevated, easy to wear and distinctly Alice.”

One fan pushed back on the brand’s sustainability claims, saying polyester is not an environmentally friendly material.

“Since designers closely follow Shein’s practices, polyester as a fabric is just plastic and not sustainable, environmentally friendly or ethical in anyway, this collaboration smacks of just doing it to make money,” the Instagram comment read.

A spokesperson for Shein said: ‘Alice McCall’s flirty, feminine collection, combined with her use of preferred materials, such as rescued fabrics, will be a hit with many customers around the world.’

A spokesperson for Shein said: “We are always identifying ways to give customers more of what they love.

‘Alice McCall’s flirty, feminine collection, combined with her use of favorite materials, such as rescued fabrics, will be a hit with many customers around the world.’

The collection launches on November 16 in Australia, New Zealand and the US with prices ranging from $15 for a bralette to $120 for a dress.

The collection features rescued textiles sourced from Shein’s collaboration with Queen of Raw, a global circular economy technology company.

Shoppers can expect pastel colors, floral prints, nods to 1970s Italian lingerie, art nouveau-inspired pieces and more in the feminine collection.