Nacho Doce/Reuters
Shein's CEO is known for keeping out of the limelight, but the company's chair isn't afraid of a little attention.
The Financial Times reported that Chinese-American entrepreneur and Shein Executive Chair Donald Tang has, in recent months, taken over as the company's public face.
An anonymous colleague of Tang's told the FT he's considered the most "visible leader" of the company, adding that employees joke they wouldn't recognize Shein's billionaire CEO, Xu Yangtian, if they shared an elevator together.
It's unclear why Yangtian prefers to live in the shadows, but Business Insider previously reported that it could be his way of avoiding attention from the Chinese government, which can exert significant control over companies in the country.
While Shein's headquarters moved to Singapore in 2021, the company was founded in China in 2008 and still contracts with thousands of Chinese factories to produce its styles. Its largest market is the US — and the company does not sell its products in China, The Wall Street Journal reported.
As Shein's executive chairman, Tang navigates the intricacies of doing business in both worlds.
Tang, a media mogul turned fast-fashion entrepreneur, began his business journey as an immigrant from China to the US. In a 2006 personal essay in the Los Angeles Times, Tang wrote that he came with $20 to his name to pursue a relationship with his future wife, Jean.
He wrote that he met Jean at a math competition and even skipped a grade to be with her. Tang eventually confessed his feelings to her in class, and when her family moved to America, he spent nine months working to get approved to move abroad.
"Love empowers people to do wonderful things," Tang wrote. "As a nation of immigrants, we are an amalgamation of love stories from around the world."
Tang previously worked at Merrill Lynch and Co. and later as a Bear Stearns investment banker, where he became chief executive of its operations in Asia. He eventually founded the media holding company Tang Media Partners, which acquired US distributor Open Road Films in 2017.
Open Road Films later became Global Road Entertainment, distributing the sci-fi film "A.X.L." among a handful of other projects.
According to reports, Global Road Entertainment declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018, less than a year after Tang failed to raise enough capital.
In 2022, Tang was brought in by Shein as an executive vice chairman, where he became "a powerful force in shaping the future" of the company, FT reported a person who worked with him said.
Tang was promoted to executive chairman a year after joining Shein and was given oversight of the company's public affairs, business strategy, corporate development, and finance.
His front-facing role came as the fast-fashion retailer considered going public on the New York Stock Exchange. The company, last valued at $66 billion, is one of the largest in the world, catering to consumers worldwide with its inexpensive and seasonal clothes and accessories.
However, the Journal reported that the company's journey to an American IPO has faced an uphill battle as Shein finds itself in the middle of US-China tensions. Chinese officials want the company to abide by national messaging for major corporations in the country, while Washington lawmakers are skeptical of the company's ties to China, the outlet noted. As a result, Shein shifted its efforts to a public listing in London.
Shein is also the subject of continued scrutiny for exploiting workers, plagiarizing designers, selling garments containing hazardous chemicals, and contributing to the climate crisis.
Tang has played a role in affirming that Shein aims to improve despite its past errors.
In an interview with Time Magazine following a heavily criticized influencer trip to a Shein factory, Tang told the publication that the company aimed to do better to ensure that factories complied with labor standards.
"We're committed to better working conditions. We have done quite a lot since last year. That's not enough," Tang told the publication. "We have to do a lot more to ensure that consumers are taken care of and that workers are taken care of."
Representatives for Shein declined to comment for this story when reached by Business Insider.
