By Blessing Nweke
The founder of fast-fashion giant Shein, Xu Yangtian, made a rare public appearance on Tuesday, reaffirming the company’s ties to China and outlining major investments in the country’s clothing industry.
Speaking at a business conference in Guangdong, home to many of China’s garment factories, Xu announced that Shein is investing 10bn yuan ($1.45bn) to develop a high-tech fashion hub in the province. He said the company’s growth has been closely linked to support from local authorities, describing Guangdong as “fertile ground” for development.
Xu addressed attendees at the High-quality Development Conference in Guangzhou, a major global manufacturing centre where much of Shein’s production network is based. The region’s extensive supply chain allows the retailer to rapidly turn emerging trends into low-cost clothing sold online within weeks.
The Shein boss praised the “world-class business environment” and “complete industrial ecosystem” created by local officials, adding that the company now supports more than 600,000 jobs across the area. He pledged further digital upgrades to improve factory efficiency and strengthen supply chains.
The appearance comes after years in which Shein shifted parts of its operations overseas, moving its headquarters to Singapore while pursuing potential stock market listings in New York and London.
Despite global expansion to more than 160 markets, the company faces mounting scrutiny. Rising tensions between Beijing and Western governments have increased regulatory pressure on Chinese firms, while changes to US trade rules under Donald Trump have affected low-value parcel exports central to Shein’s business model.
The retailer is also under investigation in Europe over digital regulations and ongoing concerns about environmental impact and labour conditions within fast-fashion supply chains.
Original article
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