€10 billion. That’s the amount that Chris Xu, one of those billionaires who have managed to fly under the radar, supposedly handles. He accumulates vast sums of money, obviously earned at the expense of the sweat of others. Just to give you some context, he is the CEO of Shein, the fast-fashion company made in China, whose methods are, let’s say, shady. Perhaps that’s why, considering the recent bad press they have been receiving, Shein invited six influencers to their offices to clean up their image. Spoiler: it didn’t go well.
Shame on Shein
It was a Channel 4 documentary that sparked the controversy. ‘Inside the Shein Machine’ revealed the reality of one of the Chinese factories, which is exactly as you can imagine: human rights violations (500 garments in 18 hours), unsanitary conditions (they wash their hair during breaks because they even work on Sundays), and so on. A marketing disaster for the brand.
Of course, the company acted offended and invited Dani Carbonari, Marina Saavedra, Aujené, Fernanda Stephany Campuzano, Kenya Freeman, and Destene Sudduth, influencers with varying degrees of prestige, to their factory in Guangzhou. It’s not surprising: Shein has always relied on Instagram and TikTok users by sending them free clothing (the famous “hauls”) in exchange for promotion. So, instead of inviting the TV channel itself or reputable journalists, they did what they usually do and reached out to people who live on the internet.
But the image makeover went terribly wrong, appearing as a staged performance for the cameras, completely different from what was shown on Channel 4. The influencers didn’t hesitate and uploaded very positive TikTok videos, accusing others of “misinformation” surrounding Shein, showcasing how clean their innovation center was or enjoying their time in China. However, their followers saw something that they didn’t notice: it wasn’t a real factory.
In fact, it was just a model they used for the rest of the production. There were no fire extinguishers or emergency exits, and half of the machines were idle. An expert in clothing manufacturers in China, Susan Bailey, detailed in a Twitter thread everything that was wrong with those pure propaganda videos. And there were quite a few issues, starting with the complete absence of individually cut garments, as if it were Louis Vuitton, instead of a place where tens of thousands of dresses are churned out every day at ten euros each.
Certainly, Shein will continue to operate smoothly due to the precariousness of society, but this whitewashing attempt has stirred up a lot of discussion. It’s particularly noteworthy because what people think you’re hiding is always worse than what you’re actually hiding. I’m sure more than a few individuals will think twice before purchasing a beach dress or shirt from there, for whatever reason it may be. Perhaps it’s about supporting human rights, you never know.
