‘It gives Shein’: how did polyester become the world’s most-hated material?

In 2015, Kate Moss called an easyJet pilot a “basic bitch” and a catchy new insult meaning obvious and uncool hit the mainstream. Had it happened in 2026, Moss might have used the word “polyester”, reportedly gen Z’s new favorite diss, levied at cheap-looking videos on TikTok, and sometimes at other users’ taste. But its use as a figurative insult also echoes a literal backlash against polyester, now the most-produced synthetic fibre on the planet. Young people are pushing back against polyester, many of them expressing concern about cheap-looking garments, sweaty-feeling fabrics and concern about what wearing polyester may be…