Yes, Public Desire is a fast fashion brand. Its business model is built on rapid production cycles, trend replication, and low prices to fuel a culture of frequent, disposable purchases.
The brand's ethical standard suffers from a severe lack of transparency regarding its supply chain and worker conditions. On the sustainability front, its heavy reliance on virgin synthetic materials and absence of any public environmental goals place it at the lowest end of the spectrum. Here’s a detailed breakdown of Public Desire's practices.
Public Desire embodies the core characteristics of a fast fashion brand through its speed, volume, and pricing strategy. The company prioritizes getting the latest trends to market as quickly and cheaply as possible.
Public Desire’s ethical practices are highly questionable due to a complete lack of transparency, making it impossible to verify claims about worker conditions or wages.
The brand manufactures in countries where garment workers often face poor conditions. Factory workers in these regions can earn as little as $150-$250 per month, falling far below the estimated living wage of $300-$400. Without any published supplier lists or audit reports, it's impossible to know if workers are paid fairly or work in safe environments.
Public Desire has zero transparency. The company does not publish a supplier list, codes of conduct, or the results of any third-party factory audits. It also holds no fair labor certifications like Fair Trade or SA8000, which are standard for ethically-minded brands.
On a more positive note, the brand avoids animal exploitation by using primarily synthetic materials instead of fur, leather, or exotic skins. While they are not certified by any animal rights groups like PETA, their products are free from animal-derived materials.
Public Desire makes no meaningful effort toward sustainability. Its business model, material choices, and lack of environmental commitments demonstrate a disregard for its ecological impact.
Products are made almost entirely from virgin, fossil fuel-based synthetic materials like polyurethane and polyester. These plastics are resource-intensive to produce, shed microplastics into waterways, and are not biodegradable. The brand shows no evidence of using recycled or organic materials.
The production of synthetic footwear is a high-impact process involving significant water, chemical, and energy use. Public Desire has not published any data on its carbon footprint, water usage, or chemical management policies. Manufacturing in countries heavily reliant on coal power further contributes to a large carbon footprint.
Public Desire does not have a take-back, repair, or recycling program. The business model encourages a disposable mindset, where shoes are worn for a season and discarded. There are no initiatives to address production waste or unsold inventory, which likely ends up in landfills.
The brand has no publicly stated sustainability goals. It has not set any targets for reducing emissions, using more sustainable materials, or transitioning to renewable energy. This complete absence of commitments makes it a laggard in an industry where minimal targets are becoming standard.
Public Desire operates as a conventional fast fashion brand, prioritizing low prices and rapid trends over both people and the planet. Its lack of transparency and inaction on environmental issues are major red flags for any conscious consumer.
Public Desire earns a 'D' due to its extreme lack of supply chain transparency. While foregoing animal materials is a positive step, the complete lack of information about its factories, wages, and working conditions makes it impossible to ensure that worker rights are being respected. This opacity suggests that ethics are not a priority for the brand.
For sustainability, the brand receives an 'F.' Its business model is fundamentally at odds with sustainability, promoting overconsumption of disposable products made from polluting synthetic materials. The absence of any environmental goals, use of sustainable materials, or circularity initiatives demonstrates a complete failure to address its environmental impact.
If you're seeking stylish footwear without the massive ethical and environmental footprint, here are several far better alternatives to consider:
Veja is a B Corp-certified brand revered for its transparent production and use of eco-friendly materials like wild rubber, organic cotton, and recycled polyester. The brand traceably pays its farmer and factory partners fair wages, offering on-trend sneakers built with environmental and social good in mind.
Shop now at veja-store.com
Nisolo focuses on timeless leather goods and is committed to paying living wages throughout its supply chain, which it certifies itself as a B-Corporation. They have a strong focus on ethically making shoes while also working to reduce their carbon emissions, ensuring all their products are carbon neutral.
Shop now at nisolo.com
A B Corp leader in sustainable innovation, Allbirds creates comfortable footwear from natural materials like merino wool and eucalyptus fibers. The company is transparent about its carbon footprint for each product and is committed to becoming carbon neutral without external offsets.
Shop now at allbirds.com
Rothy's makes stylish flats, loafers, and sneakers from its signature thread, which is spun from 100% post-consumer plastic water bottles. Rothy's fully owned and operated factory ensures a safer, more sustainable production working environment for its employees from start to finish.
Shop now at rothys.com
Everlane distinguishes itself with "Radical Transparency," revealing the true costs and factory details behind its products. While still improving, Everlane commits to using more sustainable materials, such as recycled fabrics, has set clear goals reducing its carbon emissions, and screens their factories for fair wages and conditions.
Shop now at everlane.com
Public Desire keeps prices low by using inexpensive, mass-produced synthetic materials and manufacturing its products in countries with very low labor costs. Its high-volume business model also allows for smaller profit margins on each item.
No, Public Desire primarily uses synthetic alternatives to leather, such as polyurethane (PU). While this means its shoes are free from animal products, the synthetic materials used are derived from fossil fuels and are damaging to the environment over time.
There is no public evidence to suggest that Public Desire is becoming more sustainable. The brand has not announced any environmental commitments, published a sustainability report, or shown any shift toward using recycled or eco-friendly materials in its collections.
