"This level of ignorance is SCARY": Shein influencers drama explained as netizens put company on blast for sponsored Chinese factory trip

While brands taking influencers on PR trips to build a positive image is not uncommon, Shein’s recent influencer trip backfired on them as well as the influencers concerned. The criticism came after six fashion influencers from the US were taken to Shein’s factory in Guangzhou, China, and videos of their visit began making rounds on the internet.

It is a known fact that Shein has been accused of labor abuse and breaching working hour rules. The outrage began when a video by influencer Dani Carbonari - one of the people chosen for the trip - featured a brightly lit factory with tons of robots being used to help the working laborers.

As a result, many claimed that the video uploaded by Dani Carbonari was scripted and only uploaded to paint a positive image of the brand’s work ethic.

In the now-deleted video, the influencer calls herself an “investigative journalist.” She is heard saying:

“This China trip has been one of the most life-changing trips of my life. Getting to see the whole process of Shein clothing from beginning to end with my own two eyes was so important to me. I was really excited and impressed to see the working conditions.”

At the same time, just like Dani, the other five influencers also started the video on the same note and claimed that there is “misinformation” that exists about the company. A few also added that the workers inside were “surprised” by the questions about bad working conditions.

However, social media users did not seem to buy any of it and accused the brand of scripting the content for these influencers. One netizen commented:

Social media users bashed the fast fashion brand for taking influencers on a paid trip to their factory to talk about their working conditions. (Image via YouTube)

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Shein influencer trip backfires as social media users called factory visit videos “staged”

Several social media influencers who were taken on a paid trip by Shein, came under fire as many netizens claimed that the company was just using these influencers to trick consumers into believing that the earlier accusations against the company are untrue, and the brand follows high work ethics.

As a YouTube channel, Tea Spill uploaded a detailed video about the same, here is how social media users commented and reacted:

Social media users bashed the fast fashion brand for taking influencers on a paid trip to their factory to talk about their working conditions. (Image via YouTube)

Social media users bashed the fast fashion brand for taking influencers on a paid trip to their factory to talk about their working conditions. (Image via YouTube)

Social media users bashed the fast fashion brand for taking influencers on a paid trip to their factory to talk about their working conditions. (Image via YouTube)

Social media users bashed the fast fashion brand for taking influencers on a paid trip to their factory to talk about their working conditions. (Image via YouTube)

Social media users bashed the fast fashion brand for taking influencers on a paid trip to their factory to talk about their working conditions. (Image via YouTube)

Social media users bashed the fast fashion brand for taking influencers on a paid trip to their factory to talk about their working conditions. (Image via YouTube)

The criticism came especially after Synthetics Anonymous 2.0 published a report about the brand in 2022, where they stated that Shein’s 6,000 factories use a lot of oil and produce hazardous amounts of carbon dioxide, which can be harmful to the environment.

On the other hand, Shein has also been accused of making employees work for 13 hours a day, at low pay and with almost no offs.

While Shein has previously responded to the accusations and claimed that the brand is “committed to transparency,” this time, it seems that the brand has decided to remain tight-lipped about the situation.

On the other hand, after facing backlash, Carbonari has now deleted her video.