Influencer Backlash Is the Latest Threat to Shein’s IPO Plans

When Shein, the fast-fashion giant, flew a group of fashion influencers from the US to China on an all-expenses-paid junket in June, it became a case study in the sort of audience engagement that’s best avoided. The influencers’ videos on TikTok and Instagram attempted to debunk what some of them called “rumors” about forced labor and low pay at Chinese factories where Shein garments are made: Workers “weren’t even sweating” at one factory they toured just outside the southern city of Guangzhou, said one. The effort was an attempt by the company to shift public sentiment that’s been turning increasingly ...