Sky Xu (Chris Xu, Xu Yangtian)

Chris Xu, also known as Sky Xu and Xu Yangtian, is a Chinese-American entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Shein, having served as chairman, executive director and chief executive officer "since inception" in addition to founding the company. According to Shein's first sustainability report published in 2022, Xu initially chose Chris as his English name but later changed it to Sky because he felt Chris was not distinctive enough, with Sky deriving from one of the characters in his Chinese name, Xu Yangtian.

Xu was born in 1984 in Shandong, China, and studied at Qingdao University of Technology, graduating in 2007. He worked at a marketing consultancy firm as an SEO specialist before starting his own cross-border eCommerce business called Nanjing Dianwei Information Technology in 2008. Xu co-founded SheInside in 2011, initially an online wedding dress retailer, which transitioned to selling womenswear and adopted a direct-to-consumer business model based on actual demand.

Career History

• Marketing Consultancy Firm (SEO Specialist) – After 2007 graduation
• Nanjing Dianwei Information Technology (Founder) – 2008
• SheInside (Co-Founder) – 2011
• Shein (CEO & Founder, rebranded 2015 from SheInside)

Known for being reserved and rarely appearing in public, Xu has maintained an extremely low profile despite building one of the world's most recognizable fast-fashion retailers. An industry source described him as patient, modest and pragmatic, noting that he remains deeply involved in Shein's day-to-day operations despite its scale. Xu made the strategic decision in 2015 to rebrand the company as Shein despite its already significant user base and online traffic. By 2022, Shein had become one of the world's most popular shopping apps, particularly among Gen Z consumers, offering fashionable items at low prices across more than 150 countries.

What Sky Xu could bring to his role as Chairman at Shein: Xu's demonstrated expertise in data-driven supply chain management, proven ability to identify and execute transformative rebranding strategies, and deep operational knowledge of Shein's business model position him uniquely to drive the company's strategic direction. His pragmatic decision-making, combined with his intimate understanding of Shein's supply chain and international expansion, suggests he will continue steering the company through its critical growth phase and public market transition while maintaining the operational excellence that has defined Shein's rise to become a global fashion powerhouse.