Shein's elusive boss hails Chinese roots in rare public appearance

The founder of Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein made a rare public appearance on Tuesday, as he re-affirmed his ties to Beijing and investments in the country's clothing industry.

Speaking at a business conference in Guangdong, home to many of China's garment factories, Xu Yangtian highlighted that Shein is investing 10bn yuan (£1.08bn; $1.45bn) in the province to create a high-tech fashion hub.

Xu praised the Chinese government and said "nourishment" from Guangdong has been "inseparable" from Shein's success.

His speech follows years of Shein focusing away from China, with the firm moving its headquarters to Singapore and pursuing a potential stock market listing in New York and London.

The Shein boss, also known as Sky or Chris Xu, was speaking at the High-quality Development Conference in Guangzhou, a global manufacturing powerhouse that is home to most of China's clothing production.

The city's factories are the backbone of Shein's fast-fashion operation, allowing it to turn the latest trends into low‑cost clothes to be sold online within a matter of weeks.

Xu credited the "world-class business environment" that local officials have built and the region's "complete industrial ecosystem" as a reason that companies like his have thrived.

For Shein, local support has helped the firm grow to support more than 600,000 jobs in the area, Xu said.

He described Guangdong as "fertile ground" for development, pledging to bring more digital services to the region and make its factories even more efficient.

Shein first announced plans for the 10bn yuan investment in 2023, which it is using to improve the province's supply chains.

Shein will "remain firmly rooted in Guangdong and build a world-class fashion industry cluster," Xu said.

His live-streamed remarks, made to provincial officials and other company chiefs, has been widely circulated on Chinese social media and covered by local news.

The speech marked an unusual public appearance for the Shein founder, who has largely stayed out of the public eye even as the firm expanded globally to reach customers in more than 160 countries.

Shein has faced a number of challenges in recent years as tensions between Beijing and the West has led to increased scrutiny of Chinese firms.

Concerns have also been raised about the environmental impact of the fast-fashion industry and labour conditions in its supply chain.

The company has said it has removed the listings, banned the sellers and that it is working to tighten its platform's rules.

The sale of the dolls drew backlash in Europe, especially in Paris, where shoppers protested the opening of Shein's first concession in France.