
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Shein, a China-based company that dominates the fast-fashion industry, has confidentially filed to go public, the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/fast-fashion-giant-shein-files-to-go-public-30a97410?mod=business_lead_story" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wall Street Journal</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/27/shein-files-for-us-ipo-as-fast-fashion-giant-looks-to-expand-its-global-reach.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CNBC</a> reported Monday.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Shein will be working with Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley as underwriters on the offering, the Wall Street Journal reported.</p>



<p>The initial public offering could happen as soon as 2024, people with knowledge of the matter told CNBC and the Journal.</p>



<p>Last year Shein was valued at $100 billion—worth more than the combined value of two of its fast-fashion competitors, Zara and H&amp;M, according to previous Forbes <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/janeho/2022/11/09/founder-of-fast-fashion-phenomenon-shein-joins-ranks-of-chinas-richest-after-new-fundraising/?sh=10f1cb782bc7">reporting</a>—though Bloomberg reported the value <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-07/shein-targets-up-to-90-billion-valuation-in-us-ipo-sources-say?embedded-checkout=true#xj4y7vzkg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dropped</a> to between $50 billion and $60 billion this year as higher interest rates and an uncertainty cloud the market.</p>



<p>Shein declined to comment to Forbes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>Earlier this month, people familiar with Shein’s IPO intentions&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-07/shein-targets-up-to-90-billion-valuation-in-us-ipo-sources-say?embedded-checkout=true#xj4y7vzkg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;Bloomberg the company hopes to get a valuation of around $80 billion or $90 billion before going public, which would be one of the largest initial public offerings ever.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>An IPO has long been rumored for Shein, which was founded in 2008 and quickly gained ground in the fast-fashion field. It’s known for selling trendy clothes that target Gen Z buyers with dirt cheap prices, regularly offering products for under $10. The company has faced its fair share of controversy and has regularly been criticized for relying on cotton produced with forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region. Earlier this year, 16 state attorneys general formally asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to not allow Shein to go public until it can prove the company doesn’t use forced labor, CNBC&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/30/shein-faces-scrutiny-over-forced-labor-before-ipo.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>. Shein is also under investigation by a House committee scrutinizing China, and a&nbsp;<a href="https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/media/press-releases/select-committee-releases-interim-findings-shein-temu-forced-labor" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a>&nbsp;from June said Shein and Temu—another fast fashion company—“raise serious concerns about the continued presence of products made with forced labor contaminating American imports.” Shein has denied that it uses forced labor, Bloomberg&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-24/us-lawmaker-seeks-investigation-that-could-bar-shein-apparel" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FORBES VALUATION</h2>



<p>We estimate <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/chris-xu/?sh=237275327aa4">Sky Xu</a>, founder and CEO of Shein, to be worth $11.2 billion as of Monday evening, making him the 166th wealthiest person in the world. He was also listed at No. 19 on Forbes’ <a href="https://www.forbes.com/lists/china-billionaires/?sh=4cbb22262d43">China’s Richest list</a>, published earlier this month.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>An IPO has long been rumored for Shein, which was founded in 2008 and quickly gained ground in the fast-fashion field. It’s known for selling trendy clothes that target Gen Z buyers with dirt cheap prices, regularly offering products for under $10. The company has faced its fair share of controversy and has regularly been criticized for relying on cotton produced with forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region, home to the Uyghur population. Earlier this year, 16 state attorneys general formally asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to not allow Shein to go public until it can prove the company doesn’t use forced labor, CNBC&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/30/shein-faces-scrutiny-over-forced-labor-before-ipo.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>. Shein is also under investigation by a House committee scrutinizing China, and a&nbsp;<a href="https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/media/press-releases/select-committee-releases-interim-findings-shein-temu-forced-labor" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a>&nbsp;from June said Shein and Temu—another fast fashion company—“raise serious concerns about the continued presence of products made with forced labor contaminating American imports.” Shein has denied that it uses forced labor, Bloomberg&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-24/us-lawmaker-seeks-investigation-that-could-bar-shein-apparel" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>


Tag: Fast-Fashion

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Shein Reportedly Files For IPO Amid Fast-Fashion Surge