Influencers face criticism as the Shein factory tour portrays the opposite of the brand’s long-running allegations.
In a new series called Shein 101: On the Road, fast-fashion giant Shein invited several American influencers on an all-expenses-paid trip to tour their manufacturing facilities in Guangzhou, China.
The tour gave the visitors a glimpse into the brand’s everyday behind-the-scenes operations, revealing clean and spacious facilities, brand-new machines, and promising anecdotes from workers.
The invited personalities included AuJené Butler (@itsjustajlove), Marina Saavedra (@marinasaavedraa), and Dani Carbonari (@danidmc). Each left the experience with matching smiles on their faces as they not only praised the company, but promised in their now-deleted videos that the reports and allegations against the company’s working conditions were false. Influencer Carbonari recounted their third day at the facility in a recap video:
“Now, I can go home feeling reassured, feeling confident in my partnership with Shein, working for Shein, and being a consumer of Shein. And I feel comfortable spreading that message to my community and to my family and friends.”
@shein_us On this episode of #SHEINOnTheRoad @Itsjustajlove is taking us to one of our clothing manufacturers in the heart of Guangzhou, China! Drop a ❤️ in the comments if you want to see more POVs from the SHEIN team. #SHEIN101 ♬ original sound – SHEINUS
However, with the company’s long-running allegations of forced labor, poor working conditions, and art theft, the videos both by the influencers and Shein were immediately met with backlash and criticism against the “ignorant portrayal” of Shein’s supposed labor practices.
“There’s no way you didn’t know that this company is bad,” one commenter wrote under a post by Carbonari.
The Backstory
In October 2022, a UK Channel 4 Documentary “Inside the Shein Machine: UNTOLD” exposed the Chinese retailer’s shocking working conditions.
Under Chinese labor laws, workers are not allowed to work more than 40 hours per week. However, in the documentary hosted by journalist Iman Amanri, workers shared that they were subjected to 18-hour daily shifts with only one given day off per month.
Beyond 90-hour work weeks, the documentary also revealed that Shein’s workers made around 4,000 yuan (PHP 30,000) every month while having to produce hundreds of clothing garments per day.
Following the release of the documentary, Shein pledged $15 million towards “improving physical standards” at their factories after an independent investigation found staff to be working 13-and-a-half-hour days in one of its factories, and 12-and-a-half-hour days at another.
What now?
Since the backlash surrounding Shein 101, the featured content creators have since deleted the videos on their accounts, while Shein’s remain viewable on their social media pages.
“We are saddened to see the backlash those partners have received…We look forward to continuing to provide more transparency around our business model and operations,” Shein said in a statement.
Despite statements from the brand and influencers, the public remains wary of the series’ authenticity. “They showed you what they wanted you to see,” a recent comment reads.
Shein currently faces the potential halt of initial public offerings in the U.S. as several representatives called for the Security and Exchange Commission to independently audit the Chinese retailer’s labor practices.
As the brand continues its growth into one of the biggest fast fashion brands in the world, its continuous allegations of poor labor practices, low wages, and stolen designs place it in the spotlight as the question begs: what are consumers (and influencers) willing to tolerate for cheap clothing and X deals?