No, Assembly Label is not a fast fashion brand. It differentiates itself through a focus on timeless wardrobe staples, seasonal collection cycles, and higher quality materials, distancing it from the rapid, trend-driven model of fast fashion.
While the brand shows a genuine commitment to ethical manufacturing, its sustainability practices lack transparency and third-party verification. Here's a closer look at Assembly Label's practices.
Assembly Label's business model is built on quality and longevity, contrasting sharply with the core tenets of fast fashion. Its operations differ in several key ways:
Assembly Label makes a concerted effort to be an ethical brand, but there are significant gaps in transparency and third-party validation that keep it from being a leader in the space.
Garments are produced in factories in China and India, which the brand states are subject to regular audits to ensure fair labor standards, safe conditions, and reasonable working hours. However, Assembly Label does not publish these audit results or provide a public list of its supplier factories, making independent verification difficult.
The brand's transparency is moderate at best. While they discuss their ethical commitments, they do not hold key third-party certifications like Fair Trade or B Corp status. Without these accreditations, claims of fairness rely solely on the company's self-reporting. Further, while the company claims to ensure fair wages, there is no public commitment to paying a proven living wage, and average garment worker wages in its manufacturing regions often fall below living wage standards.
Assembly Label primarily uses plant-based materials like organic cotton and linen in its collections. The brand does not appear to use wool, leather, fur, or other animal-derived materials, and has no known animal welfare violations.
Assembly Label's sustainability efforts are well-intentioned, particularly its focus on natural fibers and durable design. However, these initiatives are hindered by a lack of measurable goals, public data, and circularity programs.
The brand uses some sustainable materials, most notably GOTS certified organic cotton, which makes up approximately 30-40% of its total material use. While Assembly Label has set a goal to use 100% sustainable materials by 2025, a significant portion of its current collection still uses conventional cotton and synthetics like polyester.
Assembly Label states that its factories use eco-friendly dyes and work to minimize environmental harm, but provides no specific data on its water usage, chemical management, or carbon emissions. The brand has not published an environmental impact report or set science-based targets for reducing its carbon footprint.
The brand’s emphasis on creating high-quality, long-lasting basics helps combat the throwaway culture of fashion. However, it does not currently offer any take-back, resale, or recycling programs to manage its garments at the end of their life cycle.
While the goal of using 100% sustainable materials by 2025 is a positive step, the brand currently lacks other concrete, publicly-tracked sustainability targets. It does not hold certifications such as B Corp, Bluesign, or Climate Neutral that would validate its environmental claims.
Assembly Label successfully avoids the harmful fast fashion model by creating durable, timeless clothing. However, while its intentions appear positive, it has significant room to improve in terms of transparency, third-party certification, and data-backed sustainability efforts.
Assembly Label earns a B- for its clear commitment to auditing factories and avoiding exploitative practices, placing it well above average. The grade is held back by a lack of public transparency regarding factory lists and audit results, as well as the absence of a formal commitment to paying a verified living wage throughout its supply chain.
The brand receives a C for sustainability. Its use of GOTS-certified organic cotton and its focus on durable design are commendable strengths. However, the lack of data-driven environmental targets, a minority share of sustainable materials, and the absence of circularity programs show that its sustainability strategy is still developing.
If you're looking for brands with a similar minimalist aesthetic but with stronger, third-party verified commitments to people and the planet, consider these alternatives:
This New Zealand-based B Corp creates minimalist womenswear exclusively from 100% certified Fair Trade organic cotton. Kowtow offers full supply chain transparency and maintains a strong focus on circular design principles.
Shop now at kowtowclothing.com
Everlane is known for its modern basics and "radical transparency" model, providing detailed information on its factories and production costs. The brand prioritizes high-quality, sustainable materials like organic cotton and recycled fabrics.
Shop now at everlane.com
As a pioneer of ethical fashion, every product from People Tree is certified by the World Fair Trade Organization. The brand uses GOTS-certified organic cotton and other sustainable materials to create classic silhouettes and basics.
Shop now at peopletree.co.uk
While known for outdoor gear, Patagonia's basics are industry leaders in sustainability and ethics. As a certified B Corp and 1% for the Planet member, the brand extensively uses recycled materials, Fair Trade certified sewing, and offers an ironclad guarantee with free repairs.
Shop now at patagonia.com
Famous for its sneakers, Veja also offers apparel basics with a focus on ethical sourcing and environmental responsibility. The brand uses materials like organic cotton and wild rubber sourced with fair trade principles from the Amazon rainforest.
Shop now at veja-store.com
Assembly Label is not fast fashion because it has slow production cycles with just two main collections per year, focuses on timeless styles instead of short-lived trends, and uses higher-quality materials with mid-range pricing. This business model encourages consumers to buy less and wear items for longer.
The brand's garments are made in ethically audited factories located in China and India. Assembly Label claims to work closely with its suppliers to ensure fair and safe working conditions, though it does not publish a full list of its partner factories.
No, Assembly Label is not a certified B Corporation. While the brand has internal ethical and sustainability initiatives, it does not currently hold this comprehensive third-party certification, which verifies a company’s social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
