8 Fast Fashion Brands to Avoid at All Costs
If you’re just starting on your ethical journey or just want to make a few changes there are few things you should know. Consider this your ethical illuminati initiation. Say that three times fast, whew.
Many fast fashion brands have made amazing strides to have better conditions for workers and lessen their impact on the environment, but as always, there are stragglers. These are the 8 fast fashion brands you should avoid AT ALL COSTS. Avoid or risk losing your ethical card.
Just kidding, it’s not a competition. I have totally bought things from most of these brands below, and I still have a few in my closet. Don’t toss something you wear to buy a new more ethical version, that’s wasteful and not ethical in the end!
Now that you know better, just move your future purchases to more ethical brands, like the replacements for each brand I’ve listed below. Love an aesthetic? I can bet you there’s a better alternative.
1| Missguided
The Problem | In 2017 Missguided was found to be contracting out their manufacturing to factories that were known to pay workers wages that could be less than half of the required minimum wage. Ummm can you say illegal?
Not to mention that their “faux” fur often contains real animal fur and/or other byproducts. Vegan? Yeah, right. And to top it all off, Missguided is pretty dang secretive about their labor conditions and environmental impacts as a whole. They indicate no remorse and have made no commitments to reduce emissions or join sustainable coalitions.
Best Replacement | Reformation
Reformation has a very similar aesthetic, but the prices are higher. Wait for a sale and you can get a good deal on trendy and fab quality clothing.
2 | Forever 21
The Problem | The epitome of American Fast Fashion, and it shows. The fabrics used in most of their clothing is subpar and produced in a way that harms the environment (like cottons that rely heavily on pesticide usage). I don’t think I’ve ever owned a shirt from Forever 21 that doesn’t start twisting or has a random hole after a few wears, which shows the quality of the construction. If your garment is so poorly made, can it be good for the workers and the earth?
Workers are also not paid a living wage and their environmental policies are non-existent. This fast fashion brand has raised prices over the years, and I no longer consider it affordable in comparison to other brands for the quality you get. Maybe that’s just part of being over 21, though.
Best Replacement | H&M
H&M is no longer the fast fashion bad girl, unless it is in the twist of fate where it has rebelled and now has ethical policies and pays living wages?? Still hella affordable, too. But, let’s be clear that it is not the most ethical brand out there. It’s an affordable alternative, but is not as sustainable or ethical as other more expensive brands.
3| Urban Outfitters
The Problem | Oh boy, the staple of my youth is gonna be hard to give up. But it is SO bad.
Workers aren’t paid a living wage, and just recently they were found to be asking workers to work for free on the weekends…in the United States! Now, if they’re pulling that kind of stuff in a country with fairly strict labor laws, can you imagine what they do overseas?
UO hasn’t gotten on the green bandwagon and still uses majority synthetic fabrics with no effort to reduce emissions or manage waste and water usage. I’d rather not sweat to death in a poly-blend, anyway.
Best Replacement | & Other Stories
H&M’s sister brand with a slightly more hippie aesthetic that is the perfect dupe for Urban Outfitters.
4| Dior
The Problem | Where to even begin, honestly. As a major designer, Dior is pretty secretive about its supply chain (where things come from) and how much workers are really paid. Just because a brand is expensive doesn’t mean slave labor wasn’t used.
But, if that’s not enough for you consider the various scandals the brand has been involved in. John Galliano, the head designer, was caught in 2010 making anti-Semitic remarks on camera in Paris. A direct quote is “I love Hitler”.
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When I wrote this piece I was under the impression that Dior released the racist ad discussed below, it was actually Dolce & Gabbana. So, you get two for one to avoid in the area of designer fashion!
And if that’s not disgusting enough, in 2018 an ad came out for Dolce & Gabbana released an ad of Asian models eating spaghetti with chopsticks. Who approves these things? Racists, I’m sure.
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Now, I know Dior is a pricey brand and not many of us shop there, but I wanted to include it as a brand to avoid because their sunglasses and handbags can be fairly affordable. I’ve got better people to support with my money, though.
Best Replacement | Matt & Nat
For ethical and vegan handbags, shoes, and more you can’t beat Matt & Nat. They use really simple lines that pack a punch for an affordable price, minus the racism.
STOP! Do you want more ethical goodness?
Check out the Ultimate Ethical Brand Guide for a list of hundreds of ethical brands in every category and size.
5| Anthropologie
The Problem | I don’t know about you, but I only ever shopped Anthropologie sales. Seriously, that has to be where they make most of their money. And if the sale prices can go so low and make a profit…then the items must not be as good of quality as you may think.
I don’t like shady business practices, and Anthro is full of them. They share absolutely no information about their labor practices, environmental commitments, and animal product usage. If you’ve got nothing to hide, why not share?
The most Anthro has done to help the environment is encourage customers to not use a bag if they don’t need it. Sure, I’ll do that, but I don’t think me not using a bag really offsets the cheap production impacts of a polyester blouse.
Best Replacement | Boden
Love the craziness of Anthro prints but want better? Try Boden. The quality is divine and their commitment to ethical practices is REAL.
6-8| Romwe, Shein & WIsh
The Problem | Can I be honest? These brands are my pet peeve. We all know these brands are pretty sketchy, right? Romwe and Shein are essentially wholesalers from China, and since there isn’t a brand name they can charge extra low prices.
I’m all for saving money and not paying for a brand, but that’s not all these brands do. You’d think you’re getting the exact same designer item for way less, but it’s really a bad copy that will be poorly made and probably won’t even fit. You’ll find this out when it arrives…if it arrives. Scams are high on both of these sites.
Yes, you can save money but at the expense of horrendous labor and environmental practices and stolen designs.
Best Replacement | H&M
Again, if you can’t afford some of the pricy sustainable brands, H&M is a fast-fashion retailer that is making strides to become more ethical and sustainable. They aren’t at the tippy top of sustainability, but we have to get credit for steps in the right direction.
balls i loved this brand it was my favourite thats absolutely bollocks i dont agree with this it was the best i got my gay rainbow tshirt from here and my gay rainbow sliders made by the best brand addidas
ROMWE’s app gets 4.7 stars by reviewers and it’s number 18 on the App Store for shopping. All that was said was that it was sketchy and might not fit, “if it arrives”. People review it positively and the clothes, in fact, do happen to fit just as good as any other online site. Also, it’s not just based in China. They have 5 factories located in California, New Jersey, Belgium, China, and Dubai. Saying it’s all “wholesalers from China” is racist to the industry there because it assumes that Chinese brands are all just a fake scam and made to rob people of their money. It’d be great for these statements to have some sources or evidence at least.
lol.
the phrase "wholesaler from china" is not synonymous with a "fake scam" nor "sketchy". also, do you know the definition of racist? jesus, simply saying that it is from China is definitely not racist…it’s a fact that is not hidden anywhere, pretty much common knowledge. do you know first hand, where the clothing is made and how the workers are treated? i’m guessing you don’t.
i suggest you educate yourself about the brands rather than spitting out statistics of their app, just because you don’t actually know what you’re talking about. if you read any of their actual clothing reviews you would probably have seen people talk about the long processing time for shipping and how the delivery date is rarely accurate or even known. seems pretty sketch to me.
these brands are completely unethical and are mass produced for so cheap, i doubt the poor workers barely get paid anything for hours and hours of tedious and dangerous work making all of these clothes. stop fooling yourself and shop ethically
Yeah thanks for the tips, but I gotta ask you how on earth is asians eating spaghetti with chopsticks racist????!! Or maybe you were just kidding and Im slow.. lol.. I hope you were kidding.. because there is nothing racist about asians eating with chopsticks PERIOD.. it doesnt matter what food is being eaten with the chopsticks.. that would be like saying its racist for a french person to eat phad thai with a knife and fork!! Ya know? I wish people would stop trying to make issues out of nothing. The world is full of problems as is.. lets not focus on pulling problems out of the thin air..
was this a serious question? placing chopsticks in an ad with Asian women eating food that has nothing to do with Asian culture AT ALL is inadvertently racist – especially with a food that is normally eaten with forks and knives. your analogy to "rebut" that statement was also foolhardy – forks and knives do not come with stereotypes – these are actually widely used utensils, so they are not limited to or originated from the French. just say you don’t understand microaggressions or stereotypes (which are very huge and serious issues contrary to your point) so you can go learn instead of showing how much of a bigot you are on the internet.
Also it’s spelled PAD THAI you racist
Chill out! Just because Leah and I think differently from you doesn’t make us racist. People are allowed to think differently from you, we don’t all have to think the same. No one said anything bad about Asian people!
Lea, I agree with you! I do not think either that Asians portrayed eating with chopsticks is racist. Asians eat with chopsticks in Asia. I think people get their knickers in a bunch about everything nowadays. There are so many more pressing issues in this world. This is not it!
I understand that some brands are sketchy such as shein and romwe but at the same time its good for them because were buying from them and these people working at least getting some type of money. They aint all bad also .. their real cute and people all about saving you just gotta be smart in what you buy. For example why buy the same white t shirt from H and M and white tshirt from Shein yes one might be not long lasting but its cheaper same color shirt and your helping people that are working .