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😰 The fast fashion brands we avoid at all costs

+ 17 slow fashion brands that’ll help you ditch fast fashion for good

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Dive deeper into fashion and sustainability
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Fast fashion wreaks havoc on the planet, people, and animals. And most of the brands responsible for this harmful business model aren’t thinking about slowing down and taking meaningful action to reduce their impact. They often share little to no relevant information about their practices, and in some cases, they make ambiguous claims or simply greenwash, like SHEIN’s recent €200 million circularity fund.

To cut costs and speed up production, these brands use toxic dyes, force garment workers to ensure dangerous environments for low wages, harm animals by using their skins and furs, and deposit chemicals and microfibres into the environment.

It’s safe to say that these brands are worth avoiding, but who are the worst culprits? This week, we’re looking at the fast fashion brands that received our lowest ratings, “We Avoid” or “Not Good Enough”, and giving you alternatives that have a better impact on people, the planet and animals.

In this week's issue:
  • Overproduction, exploitation, and pollution: 10 of the worst fast fashion brands
  • Discover better alternatives: 17 slow fashion brands to support instead
Fast—and ultra fast—fashion brands follow a destructive business model and do and say almost nothing about sustainability. Here are the ones that have published little to no relevant or concrete information about their impact or supply chains, and as a result, are rated “We Avoid” against Good On You’s methodology:
  • CIDER does not communicate sufficient information about its environmental and labour policies. Enough said.
  • VRG GRL, founded by Australian sisters Natalia Suesskow and Daniella Dionyssiou in 2007 supposedly provides style-driven affordability with pieces that don’t break the bank. But as we all know, these prices come at a cost. The brand has one of the lowest ratings in our methodology and is not doing enough to limit its impact on people and the planet.
  • Based in the US, Edikted is a Gen Z-oriented online fashion brand, heavily influenced by pop culture, technology, and style. While the brand seems to focus on the latest styles and trends, it has stayed far away from making any inroads when it comes to sustainability or ensuring worker rights.
  • Like many other ultra fast fashion brands, Fashion Nova’s practices are shrouded in mystery because it publishes so little information. We need to know what’s going on behind the scenes to hold the brand accountable for its actions.
  • One of the fastest-growing ultra fast fashion retailers, SHEIN was founded in 2008 and boasts an Instagram following of 34 million. In a not-so-shocking conclusion, SHEIN rates very poorly against our methodology.
  • Like its rival SHEIN, Temu has emerged as a leader in the race to the bottom of ultra fast fashion. With little public information on its impact and reports of poor labour rights in its supply chain and toxic chemicals in its clothes, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the brand rates “We Avoid”.
See the full list
Want to ditch fast fashion, but unsure what the alternative looks like? Meet the “Good” and “Great” slow fashion brands getting back to the roots of clothesmaking:
  • The R Collective's (“Great”) womenswear is made by reusing excess materials from leading luxury brands and reputable manufacturers. The brand uses a high proportion of lower-impact materials, which limits the amount of chemicals, water, and wastewater used in production. It also ensures the payment of a living wage in its supply chain.
  • ASKET (“Good”) has been creating timeless wardrobe essentials since 2015 with revolutionary sizing and fair pricing. The brand disregards seasonal collections, cuts out all the middlemen, and only sells directly to you—putting its entire focus on building a single permanent collection.
  • “Love fashion, think organic, be responsible” are the maxims of LANIUS (“Good”). The German brand uses lower-impact materials, like GOTS certified cotton. All LANIUS facilities are SA8000 certified and it is a member of the Fair Wear Foundation.
  • Artknit Studios (“Good”) creates timeless knitwear in 100% lower-impact materials, made responsibly by Italian makers. Its partners are committed to anti-waste practices using only certified and locally sourced fibres, true to the brand's motto of "buy less, buy better".
  • Founded in 2017, Italian brand Opera Campi (“Good”) creates premium quality garments from locally sourced raw materials. The brand donates 4% of its profits to social causes.
Discover more slow fashion brands
This is a sponsored spotlight about a brand that was independently assessed by our rigorous ratings system. Collaborations like these support our work. Learn more.

“Good”-rated brand Fanfare has been recognised for its efforts in more sustainable denim at the Marie Claire Sustainability Awards 2024. Every year the magazine recognises brands leading change and committed to people and the planet. 

Marie Claire UK’s fashion director, Lily Russo-Bah, said: “From repurposing to restoring and recycling pre-loved items, to keeping production local, Fanfare has a 360 approach to sustainability.”

“Fanfare is a great example of how sustainable and circular clothing doesn’t mean you have to compromise on creativity(...) I love how the brand incorporates rescued, repurposed and recycled materials into each and every one of its products, 90% of which are made locally in its east London studio.” Russo-Bah said. The brand also traces most of its supply chain, minimises waste by limiting production runs, uses recycled packaging, and much more.

Discover the brand’s sustainability efforts here

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