Rolling Stones demand Shein clothing line is pulled after exploitation scandal

Workers in two Chinese factories making clothes for Shein were allegedly working 18 hours a day for as little as 3p per clothing item

The Shein range features the band members’ likenesses (Shein)

Legendary rockers the Rolling Stones have asked for a Shein clothing line featuring the band to be terminated after it was alleged the fast-fashion brand uses factories that exploit workers.

Last week the Chinese company announced a “licensed collection honouring the legendary rock band”, featuring clothing emblazoned with the famous Rolling Stones tongue-and-lips logo.

But an undercover investigation by Channel 4 revealed that workers in two Chinese factories making clothes for Shein were working 18 hours a day for as little as 3p per clothing item. The documentary – Untold: Inside the Shein Machine – also unveiled that workers must work weekends and only get one day off per month.

According to the I newspaper, the deal was reportedly signed by Bravado International Group Merchandising Services, which bought the worldwide rights to the Stones brand in 2018.

Now the band says it doesn’t want to be associated with Shein in light of the allegations.

The band has asked for the deal to be terminated in light of the allegations (Shein)

A Rolling Stones spokesperson told the paper: "This is a licencing deal with Bravado Inc and as such they have the rights to exploit the brand on merchandise.

“We do not want to be associated with Shein, having been made aware of the recent revelations about the treatment of workers in its supply chain, and have requested the line be terminated.”

A spokesman for Bravado said it had terminated the licensing agreement with Shein.

A spokesperson for Shein told The Independent: “Shein takes the welfare of workers at its suppliers extremely seriously and does not tolerate forced labour.

“Our Supplier Code of Conduct is aligned with International Labour Organisation core conventions, all local laws and regulations, with penalties that include the termination of business partnership for those suppliers and manufacturers who do not remediate their practices.

“Through the Shein Responsible Sourcing Programme, we work with leading agencies to conduct ongoing, unannounced audits of our supply chain, which have confirmed no forced labour violations.”

Last month it was reported that the owner of Shein was ordered to pay $1.9m to New York state over a data breach that affected millions of customers.

Zoetop Business Company, Ltd – which owns e-commerce brands Shein and Romwe – failed to properly handle a 2018 data breach in which the personal information of 39 million Shein accounts and seven million Romwe accounts were compromised, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced.

An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General found that hackers successfully stole credit card information and personal information, including names, email addresses, and account passwords of Shein customers.