"The truth behind your $12 dress: Inside the Chinese factories fuelling Shein's success" 13 January 2025

The BBC spent several days in Panyu, the neighbourhood known as the "Shein village": we visited 10 factories, spoke to four owners and more than 20 workers. We also spent time at labour markets and textile suppliers.

"If there are 31 days in a month, I will work 31 days," one worker told the BBC... We found that the beating heart of this empire is a workforce sitting behind sewing machines for around 75 hours a week in contravention of Chinese labour laws...

The company declined to be interviewed but told the BBC in a statement that "Shein is committed to ensuring the fair and dignified treatment of all workers within our supply chain" and is investing tens of millions of dollars in strengthening governance and compliance.

It added: "We strive to set the highest standards for pay and we require that all supply chain partners adhere to our code of conduct. Furthermore, Shein works with auditors to ensure compliance."...

"We usually work, 10, 11 or 12 hours a day," says a 49-year-old woman from Jiangxi unwilling to give her name. "On Sundays we work around three hours less."...

This is Shein's supply chain. The factories are contracted to make clothes on order - some small, some big. If the chinos are a hit, orders will ramp up and so must production. Factories then hire temporary workers to meet the demand their permanent staff cannot fulfil...

"We earn so little. The cost of living is now so high," she says, adding that she hopes to make enough to send back to her two children who are living with their grandparents...

Standard working hours appear to be from 08:00 to well past 22:00, the BBC found. This is consistent with a report from the Swiss advocacy group Public Eye...They found that a number of staff were working excessive overtime. It noted the basic wage without overtime was 2,400 yuan (£265; $327) - below the 6,512 yuan the Asia Floor Wage Alliance says is needed for a "living wage". But the workers we spoke to managed to earn anywhere between 4,000 and 10,000 yuan a month...

The BBC understands that the company is keeping a closer eye on its suppliers ahead of plans to go public on the London Stock Exchange... One of the biggest challenges Shein faces is accusations that it sources cotton from China's Xinjiang region...

"Shein has its pros and cons," one factory owner told us. "The good thing is the order is eventually big, but profit is low and it's fixed." Shein, given its size and influence, is a hard bargainer. So factory owners have to cut costs elsewhere, often resulting in lower staff wages...

"Shein is a pillar of the fashion industry," said Guo Qing E, a Shein supplier. "...To be honest, Shein is an awesome company in China. I think it will become stronger, because it pays on time. This is where it is most trustworthy..."