Shein flew influencers to a Guangzhou factory to defuse labor criticism — it backfired

Shein, which by TIME's numbers did $100 billion in sales in 2022 (up from $10 billion in 2020) and ranked No. 2 on the App Store shopping charts, had fallen out of vogue on social media: it stood accused of stealing indie designers' work and violating local labor laws, and a CBC investigation found significant lead in some items — one toddler jacket carried almost 20 times the lead Canadian health officials consider safe. Eyeing an IPO, the company invited a group of influencers to tour one of its factories in Guangzhou, China, in June 2023.

The videos backfired. Destene, a 4-million-follower creator, said she expected the factory to be 'filled with people just slaving away' but was 'pleasantly surprised that most of these things were robotic'. Commenters were unpersuaded: 'It feels like they used you for damage control and it's disturbing,' one wrote; another said the company should have 'invite[d] investigative journalists, not influencers they can pay off.' A sustainable-fashion TikToker spoofed the trip with a fake tour of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, site of one of America's deadliest industrial fires.

Fashion influencer Dani DMC deleted her video defending the trip and said the experience caused her to 'reevaluate myself, my brand', admitting she hadn't done enough background research before going to China. Shein stood by the tour, saying in an emailed statement that it was 'committed to transparency' and that the influencers' 'social media videos and commentary are authentic, and we respect and stand by each influencer's perspective.'

The tour deepened the credibility crisis: hostile comments, a viral parody, deleted videos and an influencer publicly regretting the trip

It answered documented findings — lead levels, design theft, labor-law violations — with a curated brand trip instead of independent verification.

It handed the story to paid promoters traveling on the company's dime, so their praise read as bought damage control.

It skipped the credibility move critics demanded: inviting investigative journalists rather than influencers.

The influencers absorbed the backlash — one deleted her video and apologised for insufficient research — while the underlying criticism went unanswered.

A curated tour cannot rebut documented criticism — handing the story to paid promoters invites the audience to assume the worst and demands independent verification instead.

Shein reiterated in an emailed statement that the tour reflected its commitment to transparency and stood by each influencer's perspective. Dani DMC said she would be 'so much more particular with who I'm working with' and would fight harder for sustainable plus-size options; the deleted videos continued to circulate through screenshots and commentary about the trip.