“The human hands behind Shein's fast fashion”

If one orders a top for 6 francs ($7.27) or a pair of jeans for 12 francs from Shein in Switzerland, one can assume that the garments were sewn somewhere on the outskirts of Guangzhou…

The NZZ spoke with a number of workers for this article. Fearing dismissal or reprisals, none agreed to be identified by their full names…

…The bags bear the Shein logo. There are four long tables at the back of the hall. Women and men sew the garments here…

Liu, the man who irons the clothing, stands at the edge of the factory hall. «We work here from 8 in the morning until 10 at night,» says the 42-year-old…

…The migrant worker from the southern Chinese province of Guizhou hardly has any time to rest. Workers get just one day off per month. Conversations with workers in other factories reveal that the working hours there are similarly long. ..

…Those who are quick can earn even more. Liu and the other workers can be paid according to how many items of clothing they sew, iron or pack – the so-called piece rate. But the targets that the boss has set for a bonus are high…

…Shein did not respond to an NZZ inquiry about the conditions in the factories…