Human Rights investigators Public Eye delve into the murky business practices of ultra fast fashion giant Shein.
Rapidly growing Chinese based Shein now has revenues on the scale of H&M and Zara, with their app in the US now downloaded more often than Amazon’s. Their business model however is based on controlling as much of the value chain as possible, while taking on as little responsibility as possible.
Researchers found that factory workers in Shein’s supply chain are working 75 hour weeks, with only one day off a month, often in informal workshops with no emergency exits and with barred windows that would have fatal implications in the event of a fire.
Through its combination of a cutting-edge online strategy and archaic working hours, the Chinese newcomer is perfecting the fast fashion industry in a particularly insidious manner. In doing so, it is taking the sector’s tradition of shunning responsibility to another level.