Shein is among a number of companies founded in China now facing questions over a litany of issues, including how it’s able to sell goods at such low prices, how transparent it is with the public about its labor practices and how much environmental waste it generates. In mid June, the influencers traveled to the southern Chinese megacity of Guangzhou to see the company’s “innovation center,” a bright and spacious facility featuring high-tech fabric cutters and robots that transport materials.
In April, a US congressional commission said Shein, online superstore Temu and others in China were potentially linked to the use of forced labor, exploitation of trade loopholes, product safety hazards or intellectual property theft.