Say no to fast fashion: Brands to avoid for more ethical wardrobe

Fast fashion is increasingly criticised for its harmful effects on both the environment and workers’ rights. In response, non-profit organisation Remake has partnered with Commons, a platform promoting sustainable consumer choices. Their latest campaign, #NoNewClothes, urges consumers to stop buying new clothes for 90 days, promoting second-hand shopping, slow fashion, and DIY alternatives.

How brands are rated

Commons evaluates brands based on their environmental and ethical responsibility, ranking them in five categories:

• Best: Companies demonstrating strong sustainability efforts.

• Good: Brands actively reducing their carbon footprint and waste.

• Fair: Those meeting only minimum sustainability standards.

• Poor: Large brands making minimal efforts despite their influence.

• Harmful: Companies significantly damaging the environment and exploiting workers.

Consumers can search for their favourite brands on Commons to assess their performance and make more ethical purchasing decisions.

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Fast fashion brands to avoid

Shein

As part of the #NoNewClothes campaign, Commons has identified several fast fashion brands to avoid due to their unsustainable and unethical practices:

• High-street giants: H&M, Zara, Mango, Primark, and Urban Outfitters mass-produce clothing at an unsustainable rate, contributing to excessive waste and questionable labour conditions.

• Popular US brands: Abercrombie & Fitch, Forever 21, Shein, and Fashion Nova are known for mass-producing cheap clothing with little regard for worker welfare or environmental impact.

• Sportswear companies: Nike has long faced criticism for supply chain issues, including poor labour conditions and reliance on unsustainable materials. Adidas, while making efforts to reduce animal product use, still has a long way to go in terms of ethical production and sustainability.

• Luxury fashion offenders: Even high-end brands like PrettyLittleThing and Missguided rely on exploitative labour and unsustainable production methods.

By avoiding these brands and choosing sustainable alternatives, consumers can help reduce the demand for unethical fashion.

The #NoNewClothes movement encourages more conscious shopping habits. Avoiding fast fashion brands and embracing sustainable fashion, second-hand clothing, or DIY alternatives can make a real impact. Ethical fashion is the future—it’s time to shop responsibly.