Toiling away for Shein: Looking behind the shiny façade of the Chinese “ultra-fast fashion” giant'Arriving like a rocket from China! With a huge range of unashamedly cheap items of clothing and an aggressive social media presence, online clothing retailer Shein (pronounced “she-in”) is catching up with industry giants like H&M and Zara in the race for young women’s money and attention. Despite its glitzy online presence, the company behind the brand remains opaque. Public Eye took on the task of shedding light on its darker side – right up to the winding alleys of the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou, where thousands of Chinese workers spend up to 12 hours a day sewing together fabrics to make teen dreams come true.'
Timo Kollbrunner
Public Eye, November 2021