- A conspiracy theory that workers at Shein are attaching pleas for help on clothing tags went viral.
- One viral TikTok video featured examples from other companies not tied to Shein over the last decade.
- There's no evidence to support this particular theory, despite criticism of Shein's business model.
A conspiracy theory claiming that workers at the Chinese fast fashion retailer Shein were enclosing secret messages in packages to ask customers for help has racked up millions of views online, but there's no evidence to support the widely spread allegations.
TikTok videos promoting the theory offered as evidence one tag sewn into some clothing that read "Do not dry clean due to water saving technology, need your help washing with the soft detergent the first time," Rolling Stone reported on Wednesday. The videos claimed the "need your help" text was a coded plea for assistance, when the tag is most likely just a poor translation of cleaning instructions, and there's no evidence it's tied to a worker sending a secret message.
The same claims have also spread on Twitter, racking up tens of thousands of likes and retweets.
The claims have also been debunked by the fact-checking website Snopes, which last week labeled the claims "mostly false" and noted it was unclear what brand of clothing that particular tag was attached to.
One video on TikTok that made the claim has more than 41 million views and has been liked over 6 million times since it was posted last month. Fact-checkers found that it cobbled together several disparate events and unrelated incidents over the past decade, while excluding further context.
One of the clothing tags shown in the video features the words "HELP ME" but is not from Shein. It instead appears to be an item from Romwe, another Chinese fast fashion brand. Romwe issued a statement in 2018 that the tags were not messages from workers but simply used to indicate the item's name, which was the "Help Me Bookmark."
Another tag featured in the video had the phrase "I have dental pain" sewn into the tag, though that image was posted on Reddit eight years ago and appears entirely unrelated to Shein. The TikTok video also showed a clip from a local newscast that detailed a 2015 incident where a woman in Michigan found a plea for help placed into a package of underwear. That underwear was made in the Philippines by Handcraft Manufacturing Corporation, a New York company, according to a local news report.
Another image shown in the video showed a yellow piece of paper with "SOS! SOS! SOS!" written on top with a message in Chinese written underneath. That piece of paper was discovered by a customer who purchased clothing from Primark, the fast fashion retailer based in Ireland, in 2014, according to a news report from ITV that year. Another example shown the video is a stock photo of a clothing tag, according to Snopes.
Shein has denied the allegations made in the videos in a statement posted to its TikTok account.
"Recently, several videos were posted on TikTok that contain misleading and false information about SHEIN," the company said, "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."
Although these particular claims appear to be false, Shein and other fast fashion companies have come under scrutiny for their impact on the environment and working conditions.
A report last year from the Swiss watchdog Public Eye alleged working conditions at Shein and some of its partner companies violated Chinese labor law. Some of Shein's partner facilities were set up informally in residential buildings and did not have proper emergency exits or windows, Business of Fashion reported last year.
Workers told the watchdog group they worked for 75 hours each week and were only allowed one day off every month, according to the report. Workers at a Shein packaging facility told Public Eye they worked for up to 28 days a month and for up to 14 hours a day, according to the report.
The company has also regularly been accused of stealing its designs from other designers, NPR previously reported.
Shein is known for its extremely low prices, offering products for as little as $1. The company this year was valued at over $100 billion after a recent fundraising round, making the company more valuable than its rivals H&M and Zara combined. The Chinese retailer last year overtook Amazon to become the most downloaded shopping app in the US, according to data from App Annie and SensorTower.
The company's business model relies on overconsumption, Insider previously reported, as its customers are rewarded with more perks based on how much they spend. On its website, Shein claims that all of its workers are paid "living wages," and says it "strictly" abides by laws prohibiting child labor. It also says it prohibits slavery in its facilities or its partner facilities, citing a "strong belief" in ethical labor.
The conspiracy theory is not the first time an online retailer has faced similar accusations. In 2020, people across social-media platforms, including on TikTok and Twitter where users mainstreamed the theory, spread the baseless rumor that the online furniture retailer Wayfair was engaging in human trafficking by selling children under expensive listings for cabinets and pillows. That rumor, which was entirely false, was connected to the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory, and originated from a QAnon influencer, as Insider previously reported.