Shein finally goes public in Hong Kong, worth $26 billion

What happens when a clothing company waits so long to go public? Sometimes, you move to a different place. Shein, a huge online fashion store, finally listed its shares on Tuesday in Hong Kong. Now, the company is worth $26 billion.

Shein sells cheap, trendy clothes to young people around the world. The company is very popular. Millions of people buy clothes from Shein every day. But for many years, Shein wanted to sell shares on the New York stock market. People in America could buy pieces of the company and own a small part of it. Shein also tried to sell shares in London. Both plans failed.

Why did New York and London say no? Some people worried about Shein's business. They asked questions about where the clothes come from. They wanted to know about worker safety. Other people worried about the environment. Making so many cheap clothes uses a lot of resources. Some governments did not like Shein's plans.

So Shein chose Hong Kong instead. Hong Kong is a big financial city in Asia. Many companies list shares there. On Tuesday, Shein's shares started trading. The price was high. This means many people believe Shein will make money in the future.

Now Shein is worth $26 billion. That is a huge number. But Shein's story is not finished. The company still faces questions about sustainability and fair labor practices. Will Shein change how it makes clothes? Or will it keep doing business the same way?

Inspired by reporting from BBC News.