A viral TikTok video claims to show different messages written or even sewn on clothing labels produced by the Chinese fast-fashion giant. She in.
The video has received more than 40 million views and has even prompted some online users to support a boycott of Shein products.
However, this video is misleading and not all of the images in the clip are actual calls for help from within Shein’s supply chain.
The first image comes from a news report 2015 about a woman from Michigan in the US, who found a “help me” sign on a package from an underwear company located in the Philippines.
There is no evidence of any link between this note and Shein.
Another image on TikTok also shows a “help me” on a packaging label for a different Chinese clothing brand, Romwe.
The brand addressed this note in 2018 and explain that “Help me” was referring to a bookmark that they sold with that phrase. It has since been relabeled to avoid confusion.
Another image showing “SOS” written over a message in Chinese was also included in the misleading TikTok video.
This photo is of a 2014 BBC news article about a note found on clothing purchased at a Primark store in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Primark told the BBC it had launched an investigation and said the products had been sold for several years before the news broke.
Euronews also reviewed other images in the video and found that one of them was a file photo and the other was a mistranslated label saying “I have a toothache” that has circulated on humor forums since 2014.
It is not the first time that Shein or others in the fast fashion industry have been credibly accused of poor and exploitative working conditions.
Shein launched a statement on TikTok saying they “take supply chain issues seriously” and have a strict Code of Conduct that prohibits suppliers from using child or forced labor.
Source: www.euronews.com