Is Madewell Fast Fashion? Is Madewell Ethical?

For many years, Madewell has been one of the most popular and prosperous fashion companies in the United States. But is Madewell fast fashion?

Yes, Madewell is fast fashion. This brand, which is housed under the umbrella of the storied J.Crew clothing company, targets a younger market and has outsold many fast fashion competitors in terms of sales and recognition for revolutionizing casual wear.

But beneath its flashy surface rises queries like, Is Madewell sustainable? Keep reading and you will find the answer.

Table of Contents

What is Madewell?

Madewell is a leading American clothing brand renowned for its chic and modern, trend-driven fashion selections.

From tops, dresses, outerwear, and accessories to bags, shoes, and jewelry, its numerous collections cover a wide range of merchandise. However, creating its heirloom denim is particularly ingrained in the DNA of the company.

Madewell‘s style is often described as casual-chic, appealing to young adults and millennials who value quality, versatility, and fashion-forward fuss-free designs.

It has a quick turnaround for launching new styles every week and serving customers all over the world thanks to an army of suppliers working on production.

Is Madewell Fast Fashion?

Yes, Madewell is a fast fashion brand, manufacturing a large volume of clothing with frequent turnover and limited transparency about its supply chain.

However, this section only makes up a small portion of the company’s wide range of products, which also includes some Fair Trade Certified and environmentally friendly products.

Furthermore, there is no evidence that the retailer pays each of its factory workers a decent living wage.

Furthermore, Madewell is a division of J. Crew, if that weren’t enough. Crew, a fast fashion giant, which raises concerns about their overall commitment to operating responsibly.

Is Madewell Ethical?

Madewell has made significant progress in improving its ethical practices, but there’s definitely a huge scope for improvement.

The good news is that the American label has partnered with organizations like Better Work, Fair Factories Clearinghouse, and Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), which are committed to improving factory working conditions around the world, as part of its Social Responsibility Approach.

Additionally, Madewell has a vendor code of conduct that complies with ILO conventions and other widely acknowledged labor rights.

All suppliers are required to abide by the rules set forth in this Code of Ethics, which promotes secure working conditions, flexible scheduling, and equitable compensation. Additionally, periodic audits by outside parties are performed on its partner factories.

Moreover, to avoid accidents and risks to the worker’s health, the company has banned the “sandblasting” technique used in denim production.

Currently, 48% of its denim is made in the B Corp factory Saitex and is Fair Trade Certified. 90% of the company’s denim will come from approved facilities by 2025, according to its goal.

Is Madewell Sustainable?

Madewell has made a little headway in the area of environmental sustainability. They have a preloved program that resells pre-worn Madewell items on their site to cut down on clothes. Additionally, they are starting to incorporate recycled materials and fabrics into their collections. These are good steps.

But there’s not much evidence Madewell is aiming to cut down on textile or water waste or significantly lower their carbon footprint (more below).

While Madewell’s ambitious sustainability goals for the next ten years are admirable, their current practices don’t seem to be in line with them.

Does Madewell Use Child Labor?

No. Madewell has a formal Vendor’s Code Of Conduct that states that it has a “zero-tolerance policy” for forced or child labor.

Additionally, it no longer purchases cotton from Uzbekistan, where it was previously common to employ children in the cotton industry.

The business hasn’t been accused of using child labor in the news as of yet. It’s impossible to say for sure whether any of its partner factories are hiring children because many of them are situated in underdeveloped countries and none of them are Fair Trade Certified.

It is significant to note that child labor is a widespread problem in the fast fashion industry. Therefore, companies should exercise caution and make sure that no children are harmed by this practice anywhere in their supply chain.

Madewell’s Animal Welfare Policies

Madewell has an official animal welfare policy guided by the principles of the This framework is known as the “Five Freedoms,” and it guarantees people their right to access to food and water as well as their right to a safe place to live without interference from pain, disease, or other unfavorable conditions.

The American retailer no longer incorporates contentious animal-derived materials into its clothing, such as fur, angora, down, or exotic animal skin.

The use of materials like cashmere, wool, and leather does not go back to the beginning of the production process, though. However, the business intends to purchase these textiles soon from ethical and accredited farms.

Conclusion: Is Madewell Fast Fashion

Despite making small efforts in each of the three key areas, Madewell doesn’t appear to be made very well at all—at least not for workers, the planet, and animals!

It would need to significantly improve its environmental policies, guarantee the payment of a living wage throughout its supply chain, and get rid of the inhumane animal-based fabrics in order to improve its score.