Online fast fashion retailer Shein has hit back at claims that their clothing tags contain hidden messages from distressed factory workers.
Conspiracy theories that staff at the fast fashion company have been sewing their cries for help into the clothes have recently gone viral on TikTok, but the retailer was quick to shut them down.
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Shein was first founded in 2008 in Guangzhou, and has since become one of the most successful fast fashion retailers in the world, worth a whopping $100 billion.
What was once just a drop-shipping company is now consistently adding almost 3,000 new retail products to its site every week for unbelievably low prices.
The company has stated on their website that they guarantee living wages and a safe working environment for their workers, and claim that they do not hire underage staff.
One particular TikTok video from last month, which now boasts over 6.7 million likes on the app, displayed a collection of the different messages that Shein customers had allegedly found on tags, including: 'SOS! SOS! SOS!', 'I have dental pain', and 'Help Me'.
While the fast fashion giant has faced its share of backlash in the past, sparking serious concerns about working conditions in its supply chain, this TikTok trend was one that the company was eager to put a stop to.
Sharing their own response on the popular video-sharing app, Shein claimed that many of the hidden 'help' messages stitched onto tags were actually from old news stories associated with other companies.
Meanwhile, they confirmed that one particular viral image of an item that read 'Need your help' on their clothes was really just a poor translation from the care label that advised customers to use a softer detergent.
In the explanatory video posted on 1st June 2022, a statement from Shein read: 'Shein takes supply chain matters seriously. Our strict Code of Conduct includes policies against child and forced labour and we do not tolerate non-compliance."
On 16th June, they added a follow-up comment which read: "We also want to make it clear that we have a strict code of conduct for suppliers which forbid them to use forced labour. We want to be honest with our consumers and we thank our customers for their feedback and support."
Ali Condon