It seems like the shopping website, Shein is not getting out of trouble any time soon. The TikTok users dragged the fast-fashion company into a controversy. There has been a theory cooking on TikTok that the one-stop-shop retailer’s employees are embedding cryptic messages on the labels of the clothes. Amidst the claims and accusations, Shein has given out a statement. Shein has been gaining a lot of profit and traction since its establishment in 2008.
The e-commerce clothing brand enabled inexpensive clothing and abundant options. The company has shown 100% consistent growth despite its controversies, plagiarism accusations, and anti-sustainability values. In a recent event, TikTok is flooding with videos claiming that employees are placing cryptic “SOS” messages. Nevertheless, Shein has refuted the claims.
Shein Has Cleared The Air Around The TikTok Accusation
Since last month, TikTok is flooded with videos showing concerning messages on the label tags of clothes purchased from Shein. There are claims that factory workers allegedly embedded those messages. A compilation video claimed that there were “cry for help” messages which read, “Help Me,” “SOS,” and “I have dental pain.” There was uncertainty about whether the messages were from the workers at the company, but the video garnered a lot of views.
It is not the first time Shein received poor working conditions accusations. In 2021, a Swiss workers’ advocacy group found that the workers are employed for more than 75 hours per week. The company has now clapped back at the accusations refuting them by producing evidence. The company posted a video that trashes the accusations of the “Help Me” messages. The messages in the original video were that of other companies.
One picture that says “Help Me” is a stock picture from the internet and the “Need your help” tag is nothing but poorly worded wash care instructions. The many pictures that were shared read, “Tumble dry, do not dry clean. Due to the water saving technology, need your help washing with the soft detergent for the first time to make the goods softer.” So, the “need your help” part is poor grammar and sentence structuring. Shein released a statement that stated, “Some misunderstanding may have been caused by this label’s wording.”
The statement continued, “Recently, several videos were posted on Tik Tok that contain misleading and false information about SHEIN. We want to make it very clear that we take supply chain matters seriously. Our strict Code of Conduct prohibits suppliers from using child or forced labor and we do not tolerate non-compliance.”
