Shein, a global fast-fashion retailer based in Singapore, is currently under investigation in Texas due to concerns surrounding its business practices. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was the first to jumpstart an investigation. It zeroes in on troubling claims such as forced labor, toxic materials, misleading marketing tactics and the threat of data harvesting. Founded in China, Shein is another rapidly ascendant force shaking up the fashion power structures today. Along with nearly all of its products, it produces its innovation in China.
The opening of the inquiry into Shein coincides with increased stakeholder concern about the way it does business. Consumer safety Paxton has sounded the alarm about the danger the brand’s products pose to consumers. “I will not allow cheap, dangerous, foreign goods to flood America and jeopardise our health,” he stated, emphasizing the need for rigorous oversight.
Besides Texas’ investigation, Senator Tom Cotton has requested a federal investigation into both Shein and Temu. He has referred to these platforms as “Communist Chinese” in nature, now implying that their business models are based on immoral behavior. Specifically, Cotton claims that Shein and Temu are stealing intellectual property from American companies. Shein’s been accused, specifically, of ruthlessly manufacturing products designed to mimic or directly copy creations from small, American brands and independent designers. Three things that artists, artists’ representatives and creators have repeatedly expressed concern about. They watch as their works are copied and sold for a fraction of the cost.
The European Union, too, has recently been forced to take notice of Shein’s product line. Opponents have petitioned the company to restrict sales of specific contentious products, like childlike sex dolls and weapons. This widespread acknowledgement reflects a deepening public concern about the corporation’s influence on consumer safety as well as production ethics.
While these important investigations continue revealing much larger systemic issues within the fast-fashion industry, Production Shein’s heavy dependence on rapid and cheap production processes brings serious concerns over labor exploitation, as well as material safety. Public health advocates believe these practices pose serious, widespread threats to public health. They harm the livelihoods of local designers who have to compete on an uneven playing field.
The findings from these investigations will have wide-reaching impacts on Shein and other companies working under the umbrella of the fast-fashion industry. Public understanding and concern over these issues continues to grow. Consumers are calling for more transparency and accountability from brands such as Shein.