getty imagesFast-fashion giants Shein and Teemu are facing increasing pressure in the US after two senior politicians pushed for an investigation into allegations including claims of forced labor and intellectual property theft.
In Texas, state Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation of Sheen, mirroring similar moves targeting the firm in several European countries.
At the national level, Senator Tom Cotton called for a federal investigation of Shein and Temu, which he labeled “communist Chinese” platforms and accused them of intellectual property theft that has “ruined” American companies.
Sheen said he took the concerns raised about his business practices seriously. The BBC has also contacted Temu for comment.
“We welcome constructive engagement with Attorney General Paxton,” Sheen said in a statement. He said that he will cooperate in the investigation. The company did not directly mention Cotton’s call for a national investigation.
The retailer is headquartered in Singapore but most of the goods sold on its platform are made in China, where it was founded.
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday, Cotton — the senior Republican from Arkansas – Said millions of packages from China are now sitting in U.S. warehouses after Washington changed its rules on low-cost shipments in August.
US President Donald Trump ended the long-standing de minimis rule, a global tariff exemption widely used by buyers of low-cost goods.
The change led to the imposition of levies and stricter customs checks on shipments.
Cotton, a key Trump ally and vocal critic of China, said the new rules give the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security a “golden opportunity” to take action.
Designers and small American brands have accused Shein of systematically copying their original creations, he said, often selling them at a lower price just days after launch.
Cotton also accused Teemu of offering “sophisticated and misleading fake content” on its platform, which has millions of users.
He cited a US investigation that found that a large portion of the items purchased by its researchers on Shein and Temu were likely counterfeit.
Separately, Paxton of Texas said several reports raised serious concerns about Sheen’s alleged reliance on forced labor and the use of unsafe materials and misleading marketing claims.
The brand is under scrutiny over the environmental impact of its fast-fashion business and the working conditions of the people making products at its sites.
The Republican lawyer said the investigation would assess whether Sheen’s practices violated Texas law by allegedly using hazardous materials and whether it misled consumers about ethical sourcing. He said the investigation would also examine Sheen’s data collection practices.
“I will not allow cheap, dangerous, foreign goods to spread into America and endanger our health,” Paxton said online.
Shein also faced calls from the European Union to curb the sale of child-like sex dolls and weapons on its third-party marketplace after French authorities gave the green light to the products in November.
Temu is also being investigated in France over the dissemination of material harmful to young people.
Sheen is not the only company to come under criticism from Paxton, who like Cotton is a close ally of US President Donald Trump. They sued Roblox in November for “blatantly ignoring” safety laws and deceiving parents about the dangers they say the platform poses to young gamers.
Roblox has denied the claims, which it said are based on “misrepresentations” of its online gaming platform.
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