The fashion retailer Shein has taken the industry by storm as it quickly rose to fame for its cheap prices. However, several issues tied to the company emerged with accusations of brutal work environments among other things. In an effort to change that image, Shein arranged a tour with TikTok influencers.
It Didn't Work as Planned
The fast fashion company invited a couple of TikTokers to tour its factory in Guangzhou, China. Among the group of content creators, fashion influencer Dani shared her experience on TikTok, but has taken down the video since.
Also known as @itsdanidmc, she expressed that she was expecting that people were "slaving away" but was surprised that "most of these things were robotic." She even claims that all the workers were simply normal, sitting down, and not even sweating.
According to the content creator, Shein admitted that they were aware of the rumors and that they wanted to put an end to them. The conversation eventually led to the company inviting her to the factory to show her what was going on.
Later on, she proceeded to say that a narrative was fed to them in the US, as mentioned in Tech Crunch. One TikTok user pointed out that the fashion influencer was just used for damage control, and that it was disturbing. The commenter had a point.
There's a real possibility that prior to the trip for the content creators, Shein might've arranged an environment that didn't look like they were overworking their employees. The fashion company has several other factories that the influencers did not visit as well.
As pointed out by another TikTok user in the now-deleted video, Shein should've invited the investigative journalists to the scene and not influencers they can bribe. Of course, the inquisitive nature of journalists might ruin Shein's entire damage control plan.
Dani expressed that the biggest lesson she learned during the trip was to be an independent thinker, get the facts, and see things with her own eyes. She also mentioned that the tour caused her to reevaluate herself and be more particular about who she's working with.
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Shein's Known Issues
The fast fashion company has been linked with several issues from unfair labor practices to stealing designs to create their products. A documentary exposed Shein's system of overworking its employees and giving them just one day off every month.
According to Glamour Magazine, the workers would work from 8 AM until early morning hours, which other than being inhumane, also exceeds the maximum hours a worker can spend in China's labor laws. A Shein worker said that "there's no such thing as Sundays" there.
The work environment has also posed a health risk for its workers due to the toxic chemicals they are exposed to while working. Chemicals like lead, PFAS, and phthalates were found in the clothing that was being created in the factories.
The intention of the trip with TikTok influencers was to put these accusations to rest, with Shein saying that they are committed to transparency. The company also noted that the influencers' commentaries were authentic and that they stand by it.
