- Shein’s listing showed a glossy, satin-like dress with smooth draping and an ideal fit, though it did say the fabric was 93 percent polyester and 7 percent elastane.
- Customer photos showed a duller, heavier dress, raising concerns about the impression created for shoppers before they bought it.
- The Advertising Regulatory Board found that the images, badges and presentation could mislead shoppers about the dress’s fabric quality and appearance.
Shein’s product listing showed a champagne evening dress with a glossy, satin-like sheen, smooth draping, and an ideal fit. It also featured prominent “Satin” and “S Verified” badges.
But the same listing said the dress was made from 93 percent polyester and 7 percent elastane, while customer-uploaded photos showed a noticeably duller, heavier dress.
That contrast became the main issue in a complaint considered by the Advertising Regulatory Board. The complainant said the polished images gave the wrong impression about the dress’s material, quality, colour and fit.
The directorate had to consider whether the images, badges and other elements of the listing, taken together, gave shoppers an inaccurate idea of what they were buying.
This is where the dispute over Shein’s use of AI-enhanced images became important. The issue was not just whether AI had been used, but whether the technology had changed the appearance of the dress in a way that could affect a shopper’s perception of its quality and fabric.
Shein says shoppers had enough information
Shein argued that the listing should be considered as a whole, pointing to its product description, design details, colour options, fabric composition, size guide, many images and customer reviews.
The company said AI-assisted images were not inherently misleading and argued that the complainant had not identified a specific feature that had been misrepresented.
Shein also said colour could look different because of lighting and device differences, and that fit naturally varied between people. The company said satin referred to the fabric’s finish, not its fibre composition.
The badges reinforced the premium impression
The directorate found that the Satin badge was presented as a standalone label, instead of a description like Satin feel or Satin style. The S Verified badge added to this impression, looking like a quality assurance or authenticity mark, even though there was no clear explanation of what the verification meant.
The highly polished images looked AI-enhanced, with flawless draping, strong sheen and an ideal fit. The mannequin image reinforced the same satin-like presentation. The directorate found these elements created a premium look that was not supported by the disclosed fabric composition or customer photos.
Customer photographs showed a different garment
The customer photos showed a much less shiny fabric, a heavier drape and fit differences that, in the directorate’s view, could not simply be explained by body shape or height. The directorate accepted that advertisers try to present products attractively and that using AI-assisted images is not automatically misleading.
The problem came up when AI enhancement made the sheen, drape or texture of the dress look better than it really was and, with quality badges, created a misleading impression. It was found that most shoppers would understand Satin as a sign of fabric quality, not just as a style label.
The correction came too deep in the listing
The listing included the fabric composition, customer reviews and real-life photos, but this information was found deeper in the product page.
The directorate found that shoppers had to look for that information themselves before getting a clearer idea of the dress. “One cannot clarify an initially misleading impression in the small print of an advertisement,” the directorate said.
The directorate found that the overall presentation gave an exaggerated and inaccurate impression of the dress’s fabric quality and appearance, going against Clause 4.2.1 of Section II of the Code of Advertising Practice.
It instructed ARB members not to accept or publish Shein advertising using stylised fabric or quality badges, including Satin or S Verified, if the fabric isn’t actually satin.
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