Online Store Shein Apologized For Selling A Phone Case Depicting A Handcuffed Black Person Outlined In Chalk (2024)

FAQs

What has Shein been accused of? ›

Both Shein and Temu have been accused by a House committee of using forced labor from the autonomous region of Xinjiang in China. According to the U.S. State Department, 12 million Uyghurs, Turkic-speaking Muslims, live in Xinjiang and are native to the region.

Despite the buzz, SHEIN is not being cancelled. In fact, SHEIN continues to grow, attracting fashion enthusiasts worldwide with its trendy and affordable selections. This powerhouse brand keeps expanding its reach, proving that rumors of its demise have been greatly exaggerated.

It works with over 6,000 suppliers throughout China. The company has been accused of using manufacturers that have violated labor rights. A 2021 investigation by the Chinese digital publication Sixth Tone uncovered a pattern of "loose oversight and poor working conditions" at some of Shein's manufacturers.

At the same time, Shein and Temu have been accused by American lawmakers of failing to ensure their supply chains comply with the Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) passed last June to penalize Beijing's systematic rights abuses against the Muslim minority group in the western Xinjiang region.

Shein has been criticized for its lack of transparency regarding its manufacturing processes. Without this information, it's difficult to determine if workers are being treated fairly or if sustainable practices are being used.

Shein, a global fast-fashion giant based in China, faces a boycott campaign amid allegations of Uyghur forced labor. Justice for All, a human rights organization, calls on Muslim women to boycott Shein during Eid al-Fitr, alleging its involvement in Uyghur forced labor.

The Shein website is designed to protect your shopping journey from start to finish. Like many other online shops, it employs encryption, meaning it's secure to visit and browse. Shein aims to ensure that your personally identifiable information, including banking credentials, is stored and transmitted securely.

Are Shein Clothes Toxic? In simple words, Shein clothes are not exactly toxic. That means the users face very little threat of getting sick by wearing them. However, Shein has faced criticism for a variety of environmental and ethical issues for using elevated levels of harsh chemicals in clothes.

Outsourcing labor

One of the key ways that Shein and other fast-fashion brands keep prices low is by outsourcing manufacturing labor to cheaper markets, said Dana Thomas, a Paris-based fashion journalist and author of “Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes.”

Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname or artificial name from Yiddish sheyn 'fine beautiful'.

Who is Shein owned by? ›

Who owns Shein? Shein is owned by parent company Nanjing Lingtian Information Technology, although the company's ownership is frequently branded a mystery. It remains a private company, with four major shareholders so far: JAFCO Asia, IDG Capital, Sequoia Capital China, and Tiger Global Management.

"We have zero tolerance for forced labor. We have zero tolerance for child labor," says Shein's Pernot-Day, adding that the company requires its manufacturers to comply with their local laws. Some of Shein's 5,000-some manufacturers are now in Brazil and Turkey, but most remain in China.

Major environmental issues associated with fast fashion brands like SHEIN, like water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, exposure to toxic chemicals, excessive textile waste and production of tons of carbon dioxide every year, are only a few consequences of SHEIN's unsustainable practices.

For Diamond's study, commissioned by Marketplace, researchers tested 38 samples of children's and adult clothes and accessories. One in five had concerning levels of chemicals, like lead, PFAS, and phthalates. Unsurprisingly, one of the worst offenders was SHEIN.