In a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission Monday, a bipartisan group of 22 US House of Representatives members asked the SEC to require that Shein certify that any of its products that are made in China do not utilize Uyghur forced labor. “There are credible allegations of the company’s use of underpaid and forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,” said the letter, led by Reps. John Rose of Tennessee and Jennifer Wexton of Virginia.
Shein, which was founded by Chinese entrepreneur Chris Xu, initially created a cult following for its fast-fashion apparel and has since branched out into other offerings, such as home goods. Shein commissions its own goods through manufacturers it teams up with in, what is effectively seen as a supersonic version of fast fashion. The letter illustrates how Congress is scrutinizing Shein and rival fast-fashion app Temu amid their surging popularity in the United States.