Xinjiang cotton row: Chinese shoppers torn as big fashion labels come under fire

In Beijing and Shanghai, consumers tell if and how their clothes-buying habits will change because of a row between China and global brands

Online seller reports a rush on Xinjiang cotton quilts as Chinese buyers support domestic products

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Shoppers visit Swedish clothing giant H&M in Beijing on March 25, 2021. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:00pm, 25 Mar 2021Updated: 11:48am, 26 Mar 2021

Despite calls for boycotts on social media, Chinese customers were in a dilemma over whether to buy products from H&M, Nike and other brands that had expressed concern about the alleged use of forced labour to produce Xinjiang cotton.

Some loyal fans showed no interest in playing a “political game” while other shoppers replaced international brands with domestic products.

On Thursday afternoon, Swedish fashion brand H&M’s brick-and-mortar store in Shimao Tianjie, a shopping centre in east Beijing, was almost empty with no more than 10 customers, although the store manager said business and the flow of customers was normal for a workday afternoon.

In a statement last year, H&M, the world’s second-biggest clothing retailer, said it did not source cotton from Xinjiang. The statement resurfaced in recent days following the announcement that several Western countries had imposed sanctions on China.

On Weibo, H&M has faced fury since Wednesday with many users claiming they will no longer buy its products. The brand has also been removed from all major Chinese e-commerce platforms, while two popular actors cut ties with the company and state media published commentaries criticising it.