SHE’S WEARING BIG ‘SHEIN’ER
Influencer in sorry state after ‘sweatshop’ love
An influencer and self-proclaimed “confidence activist” has apologized after she was pummeled with criticism for sharing a glowing review of Shein’s factory in China after touring the facility.
Shein, an online fast-fashion retailer headquartered in Singapore, posts more than 6,000 new products on its website daily. The company has gained a controversial reputation over its cheap apparel made in allegedly abusive factory conditions.
Last week, plus-size model Dani Carbonari shared a oneminute video with her 481,000 followers of her “life-changing,” Shein-sponsored trip to its largest factory in Guangzhou, China.
In the video, Carbonari said she had been “impressed to see the working conditions” after touring Shein’s Chinese factory as the camera panned to men and women sewing and ironing fabrics in a brightly lit space.
In the voiceover, Carbonari also insisted that she interviewed a woman who worked in Shein’s fabric-cutting department who said she was “surprised at all of the rumors that have been spread in the US.”
“She told me about her family, her lifestyle, her commute, her hours,” Carbonari said in the since-deleted post.
Big blowup
Carbonari ended her controversial video by saying her “biggest takeaway” from the influencer trip “is to be an independent thinker, get the facts and see it with your own two eyes.”
“There’s a narrative fed to us in the US, and I’m one that always likes to be open-minded and seek the truth, so I’m grateful for that about myself, and I hope the same for you,” she continued.
The clip, however, has been deleted. Carbonari did not respond to The Post’s request for comment. On Monday, she posted an apology to her followers.
“Especially plus-sized influencers, we’re just so happy to be included,” Carbonari said in the post Monday. “I’m sorry and sad that people who don’t know me are angry and upset,” she added, noting that she should have done more research on the brand before taking the trip.
Critics weren’t satisfied. “Oh come on. Just say it. ‘I willingly agreed to become a PR tool for a notoriously unethical company because of my own negligence . . . You don’t get to ‘take accountability’ when you can’t even actively acknowledge what you did wrong,” one commenter said.
Carbonari was among six influencers who toured the Shein factory. Collectively, they have about 2 million followers.
Other influencers who went on the junket also found themselves in the hot seat. One, Destene Sudduth, also posted a video of the tour to her Instagram page, which boasts over 385,000 followers.
“I was really surprised to see each piece handled with care,” Sudduth said in the voiceover, prompting one commenter to point out “it’s been proven that their [Shein’s] workers work 12hrs a day in poor conditions.”