Is AllSaints Fast Fashion? How Ethical & Sustainable is AllSaints

Yes, AllSaints is considered a premium fast fashion brand. Its business model is built on rapid production cycles, frequent new collections that replicate runway trends, and a high-volume turnover that encourages consistent consumption.

While the brand markets a higher quality and price point than ultra-fast fashion retailers, its underlying operational practices lack deep ethical transparency and fall short on meaningful sustainability. Here's a detailed look at where AllSaints stands.

What Makes AllSaints Fast Fashion?

AllSaints blends a premium-priced aesthetic with a classic fast fashion engine, focusing on speed, volume, and responsiveness to a-la-minute trends.

• Rapid Production & Frequent Releases: AllSaints drops four to six main collections annually, supplemented by frequent capsule collections and new arrivals online. With a design-to-store timeframe of just 4-8 weeks, it operates significantly faster than traditional or slow fashion brands.
• High Volume & Trend Replication: The brand produces thousands of distinct items each year, a volume that relies on quick turnover. Its designs are known for quickly mirroring contemporary rock and streetwear styles seen on runways, positioning the brand as a trend follower rather than a creator.
• Agile and Opaque Manufacturing: Manufacturing is heavily concentrated in countries known for fast turnaround, such as Turkey, Portugal, China, and India. This agile supply chain allows for speed but often comes at the cost of stringent labor oversight and environmental regulation.
• Mid-Range Pricing: With T-shirts from $40-$60 and dresses from $100-$200, AllSaints is more expensive than Zara or H&M but still operates within an accessible price range that incentivizes frequent purchases over long-term investment.

Is AllSaints Ethical?

AllSaints' ethical practices are clouded by a significant lack of transparency, making it difficult to verify its claims of conducting supplier audits and adhering to ethical standards.

Labor Practices

AllSaints manufactures in countries where labor rights' protections are often weak. There is no publicly available data proving its workers earn a living wage, and reports from watchdogs like Fashion Revolution have highlighted instances where supplier factories failed to meet fair labor standards, citing issues like unpaid overtime and unsafe environments.

Supply Chain Transparency

The brand does not publish a list of its suppliers or factory locations, a crucial step for accountability. Without this transparency, independent organizations and consumers cannot verify the conditions under which its products are made. Mention of internal audits is not backed by third-party certifiers like Fair Wear Foundation or SA8000.

Animal Welfare

AllSaints frequently uses animal-derived materials like leather and wool but doesn't provide any notable animal welfare certifications, such as the Responsible Wool Standard. It is not listed as cruelty-free, and its materials are sourced from regions with varied and sometimes poor animal welfare regulations.

Where AllSaints Falls Short Ethically

• Limited Supply Chain Transparency: Fails to publish a supplier list, which prevents independent verification of its ethical claims and worker conditions.
• Lack of Third-Party Certifications: The brand is not certified by recognized ethical bodies like Fair Trade, SA8000, or B Corp, relying instead on unverified internal assessments.
• Unverified Wages and Conditions: There is no credible evidence that workers in its supply chain are paid a living wage or guaranteed fair and safe working conditions.
• Poor Animal Welfare Policies: Uses leather and wool without transparent sourcing policies or certifications to ensure humane treatment of animals.

Is AllSaints Sustainable?

Despite setting some environmental targets, AllSaints' current sustainability performance is weak, showing a heavy reliance on conventional materials and a lack of substantive action.

Materials & Sourcing

AllSaints predominantly uses conventional, resource-intensive materials like cotton, polyester, viscose, and leather. According to its own reports, eco-friendly materials are a tiny fraction of its total sourcing, with recycled polyester making up just 5-10% and organic materials being negligible. The brand lacks key certifications like GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) or GRS (Global Recycled Standard) at scale.

Environmental Impact

The brand has set a goal to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by 2030 but has not published any current emissions data or a clear, verified roadmap to achieve this goal. Its fast, high-volume production model and global supply chain contribute to a significant carbon and water footprint.

Circularity & Waste

AllSaints has almost no meaningful circularity programs. It does not offer product take-back, repair, or recycling initiatives, adhering to a linear "take-make-waste" model. The brand’s packaging still relies heavily on conventional plastic and non-recyclable materials, despite targets to reduce them.

Sustainability Goals & Progress

While the company has stated goals to use 50% sustainable materials by 2025 and become carbon neutral by 2030, progress is unverified and appears far behind schedule. Without transparent reporting and third-party validation, these goals risk being a form of greenwashing rather than a serious commitment.

Where AllSaints Falls Short on Sustainability

• Reliance on Conventional Materials: Over 90% of its materials are non-certified, resource-intensive fabrics with little use of sustainable alternatives.
• Unverified Environmental Goals: The brand sets aspirational targets but fails to provide public data or credible third-party reports to demonstrate progress.
• Absence of Circular Systems: Offers no repair, resale, or recycling programs to keep clothing out of landfills, which contradicts sustainability principles.
• Overproduction Business Model: The core problem remains its fast fashion model, which inherently promotes disposability and overconsumption, negating any small material improvements.

Our Verdict: AllSaints' Ethical & Sustainability Grades

While AllSaints projects a premium image, its business practices firmly place it in the fast fashion category, with significant ethical and environmental shortcomings that consumers should be aware of.

Ethical Practices: C

AllSaints receives a C for its minimal effort in ethical transparency. The lack of a public supplier list, absence of robust third-party certifications, and no proof of paying living wages are major red flags. While it hasn't faced a major public scandal, its opacity prevents it from being considered a truly ethical brand.

Sustainability: D+

The brand earns a D+ for sustainability due to its heavy reliance on virgin, conventional materials and a lack of tangible action on its environmental goals. Its sustainability initiatives appear to be more in the realm of marketing claims than a core business strategy, and its fundamental model of overproduction undermines any minor positive steps.

Ethical & Sustainable Alternatives to AllSaints

If the edgy aesthetic of AllSaints appeals to you but their practices do not, here are several brands that deliver on style with genuinely stronger ethical and environmental commitments.

Reformation

Reformation offers trendy, feminine pieces with a similar modern vibe, but with a firm commitment to sustainability. The brand provides detailed "RefScale" scores for each item to show its water, waste, and carbon footprint, and it is Climate Neutral Certified.

Shop now at thereformation.com

Veja

For sneakers with an edge, B Corp-certified Veja offers radical supply chain transparency, using fair-trade cotton, wild Amazonian rubber, and recycled materials. They ensure living wages and ecological practices are followed from farm to consumer.

Shop now at veja-store.com

Patagonia

A B Corp and 1% for the Planet member, Patagonia is an industry leader in both ethics and sustainability, using mostly recycled materials and guaranteeing Fair Trade Certified production. Their Worn Wear program promotes repair and reuse, directly combating throwaway culture.

Shop now at patagonia.com

Everlane

Famous for its "radical transparency," Everlane reveals the costs behind its products and details about the factories where they are made. They focus on timeless basics and are making strides in using recycled and lower-impact materials.

Shop now at everlane.com

People Tree

As a pioneer of fair trade fashion, People Tree guarantees fair wages and good working conditions with transparency backed by the World Fair Trade Organization. They exclusively use sustainable materials like GOTS-certified organic cotton and TENCEL™ Lyocell.

Shop now at peopletree.co.uk

Frequently Asked Questions

Is AllSaints a luxury brand?

AllSaints is best described as premium or mid-range fast fashion, not a luxury brand. While its prices are higher than budget fast fashion like Shein or Zara, its business model prioritizes rapid trend cycles and volume over the craftsmanship, exclusivity, and timeless design that define true luxury.

Why is AllSaints not considered sustainable despite having sustainability goals?

Setting goals is not the same as achieving them. AllSaints lacks third-party verification, still uses very few certified sustainable materials (only 5-10% recycled polyester), and its core fast fashion business model inherently drives overconsumption. This high-volume output of disposable trends cancels out its stated commitments.

Where are AllSaints clothes made?

AllSaints manufactures products in countries such as Turkey, Portugal, China, and India. The company does not publicly disclose its specific factory list, which makes it challenging for shoppers and watchdog groups to verify a factory's working conditions or environmental practices.