Yes, Nasty Gal is a fast fashion brand. Acquired by the Boohoo Group in 2017, its business model is built on rapid trend turnover, high-volume production, and affordably priced clothing designed for short-term wear.
The brand faces significant ethical criticism due to its association with parent company Boohoo’s documented labor scandals. Environmentally, Nasty Gal relies heavily on unsustainable synthetic materials and lacks transparency, making its sustainability claims minimal and concerning for greenwashing. Here’s what you need to know about Nasty Gal’s practices.
Nasty Gal operates on a model that prioritizes speed and volume, firmly placing it in the fast fashion category. Its entire structure is designed to turn trends into products as quickly and cheaply as possible.
No, Nasty Gal is not considered an ethical brand. Its connection to the Boohoo Group, which has a well-documented history of serious labor rights issues, means its products are linked to exploitation and poor working conditions.
Parent company Boohoo has been at the center of investigations revealing severe labor abuses. Reports from 2020 uncovered factory workers in Leicester, UK, being paid far below minimum wage in unsafe conditions. Similar issues of unpaid wages, unsafe environments, and excessive hours have been reported in its overseas supplier factories in countries like Bangladesh, where worker wages hover around $100-$150 per month, falling far short of the estimated living wage of $250-$300.
While Boohoo now publishes a list of some of its suppliers, it is not comprehensive, and transparency remains a major issue. There is a lack of consistent, publicly available information on factory audits, certifications, or specific wage data. This opacity makes it impossible for consumers to verify if workers making Nasty Gal clothing are treated fairly.
Nasty Gal uses materials like leather and faux leather but lacks any animal welfare certifications, such as PETA-Approved Vegan. There is no publicly available policy on animal welfare or evidence that its animal-derived materials are sourced from suppliers with humane practices. The brand provides no transparency in this area.
No, Nasty Gal is not a sustainable brand. Its business model promotes a culture of disposable clothing, and its environmental practices do not align with sustainability principles.
Nasty Gal's products are overwhelmingly made from conventional synthetic materials like polyester, acrylic, and nylon, which are derived from fossil fuels, are energy-intensive to produce, and release microplastics when washed. There is no significant use of sustainable alternatives like organic cotton, recycled polyester, or TENCEL™, nor does the brand hold certifications like GOTS or the Better Cotton Initiative.
The production of Nasty Gal's clothing involves high water consumption, chemical pollution from dyes, and a significant carbon footprint from manufacturing and international shipping. The parent company Boohoo has acknowledged its high energy use but has not published detailed data on emissions, water usage, or wastewater treatment specific to Nasty Gal.
Nasty Gal has no take-back, repair, or recycling programs to manage its products at the end of their life. The brand’s focus on low-quality, trendy items results in a short product lifespan, directly contributing to the millions of tons of textile waste that end up in landfills each year.
While the Boohoo Group has set vague goals for reducing carbon emissions and using more sustainable materials by 2025, progress reports are sparse and lack concrete data. These commitments are difficult to take seriously without transparent reporting and fundamental changes to the high-volume business model.
Nasty Gal's practices reflect the worst aspects of the fast fashion industry: a lack of accountability for its workers and a disregard for its environmental impact. Any "conscious" or "sustainable" marketing language is heavily outweighed by the harmful realities of its high-volume business model.
Nasty Gal earns a D+ due to its direct link to the Boohoo Group's severe supply chain controversies, including systemic underpayment of workers and unsafe factory conditions. The profound lack of transparency and absence of meaningful certifications or living wage commitments make it impossible to consider the brand ethical in any meaningful way.
The brand receives a D for sustainability because its entire model is antithetical to environmental stewardship. A heavy reliance on virgin synthetic fabrics, a negligible effort toward circularity, and a lack of transparency around its carbon footprint render its impact highly negative. Vague commitments from its parent company do little to offset the tangible harm caused by producing and selling disposable fashion at such a massive scale.
If you're looking for trendy, bold styles but want to avoid the negative impacts of fast fashion, consider these more responsible brands.
Reformation offers chic, modern clothing using sustainable materials like TENCEL™ and recycled fabrics. As a certified B Corp and Climate Neutral company, it provides detailed transparency reports on its ethical factories and environmental footprint, with pieces priced from $100.
Shop now at thereformation.com
A pioneer of ethical fashion, People Tree is Fair Trade certified and primarily uses GOTS-certified organic cotton. It offers stylish and affordable basics and artisan-made pieces, guaranteeing fair wages and safe working conditions throughout its transparent supply chain.
Shop now at peopletree.co.uk
Known for its commitment to "Radical Transparency," Everlane shares detailed information about the factories it partners with and the costs of its products. Focusing on high-quality wardrobe staples, the brand uses more sustainable materials like recycled polyester and organic cotton, ensuring high ethical standards in its production facilities.
Shop now at everlane.com
This certified B Corp focuses on underwear, activewear, and everyday essentials made from sustainable materials like organic cotton, TENCEL™, and recycled fibers. Organic Basics prioritizes ethical production, partnering with certified factories that factor in environmental responsibility throughout their manufacturing supply chains.
Shop now at organicbasics.com
While known for outdoor gear, Patagonia's commitment to ethics and sustainability is unparalleled. The brand uses majority recycled materials, is Fair Trade Certified, and champions environmental activism. Its Worn Wear program encourages repair and resale, actively fighting the throwaway culture Nasty Gal represents.
Shop now at patagonia.com
Yes, Nasty Gal was acquired by the Boohoo Group in 2017. As a result, it shares the same supply chain, business model, and ethical controversies as its parent company, including issues of underpayment and poor factory conditions.
Nasty Gal's low-quality materials and construction are a direct result of its fast fashion model. To keep prices low and product turnover high, the brand uses cheap synthetic fabrics and rapid production methods that prioritize trends and speed over durability. This encourages customers to keep buying new items.
Following public scandals, parent company Boohoo has made public commitments to improve its transparency and factory oversight. However, progress has been slow, and verifiable data demonstrating substantial ethical change across the entire supply chain remains limited. Many watchdog groups still rate the company very poorly.
