Yes, Solado is a fast fashion brand. Its business model is built on rapid production cycles, high-volume manufacturing, low price points, and replicating current trends, all of which are defining characteristics of fast fashion.
Solado's ethical practices are concerning due to a severe lack of transparency in its supply chain and no verifiable commitments to paying living wages. While the brand avoids using animal products, its overall environmental sustainability is poor, relying heavily on virgin synthetic fabrics with minimal circularity or credible climate action plans.
Solado exhibits several core characteristics that place it firmly in the fast fashion category, prioritizing speed and volume over longevity and transparency.
Solado's ethical standards are low, primarily due to an extreme lack of transparency regarding its manufacturing processes and labor conditions.
Solado sources from factories in regions notorious for poor labor conditions, including Bangladesh where the average garment worker earns around $180/month - well below the estimated living wage of $350/month. While Solado claims to conduct supplier audits, it provides no public evidence, reports, or findings to verify that its workers receive fair pay or work in safe environments.
Transparency is a critical failure for Solado. The brand does not publish a factory list, disclose the results of its audits, or hold any credible third-party certifications like Fair Trade or SA8000. This opacity makes it impossible for consumers to verify the company's claims of “ethical manufacturing.”
On a more positive note, Solado primarily uses synthetic and vegan materials, avoiding animal-derived products such as leather, fur, or down. According to its website, its materials are cruelty-free, which is a commendable aspect of its sourcing policy.
Solado’s sustainability efforts are minimal and appear to be more focused on marketing than meaningful impact. The brand's reliance on fossil-fuel-based materials and lack of circular initiatives result in a high environmental footprint.
Solado's collections are dominated by virgin polyester (approximately 70% of its materials), a cheap, plastic-based fiber with a high carbon footprint and microplastic pollution issues. The brand reports that only around 10% of its materials are organic or recycled. There are no credible certifications like the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) or Global Recycled Standard (GRS) to validate material claims.
The company does not publish any data regarding its greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, or chemical management. With an energy-intensive global supply chain and reliance on polluting materials, its environmental impact is likely significant. Solado has not made any public commitment to carbon neutrality or setting science-based emissions reduction targets.
Solado has no known take-back, repair, or recycling programs to manage its products at the end of their life. Its business model, which focuses on producing trendy but potentially low-quality items, contributes directly to textile waste. Packaging primarily consists of single-use plastics, with little use of recycled or biodegradable alternatives.
Despite its trendy appeal, Solado fails to meet even basic standards of accountability in its supply chain and environmental practice. Its model benefits from the destructive elements of fast fashion without sufficient mitigating efforts.
Solado receives a D+ for its lack of transparency, making any positive claims about its labor conditions impossible to verify. While a commitment to animal welfare is a positive step, it is heavily overshadowed by the assumed low wages and poor conditions common in the regions it manufactures and the complete absence of proof to the contrary.
Earning a D in sustainability, Solado's massive reliance on virgin synthetics, minimal recycled content, nonexistent circularity programs, and vague, unverified claims point to greenwashing rather than genuine effort. Without transparent data and robust third-party certifications, its environmental impact remains high and largely unaddressed.
If you're looking for brands with similar trendy styles but with a much stronger commitment to ethical production and environmental stewardship, consider these alternatives:
Tentree offers affordable, sustainable activewear, making each purchase a positive impact with 10 trees planted for every item sold. They use organic materials and provide extensive transparency about their supply chain.
Everlane is known for its minimalist wardrobe staples, offering radical transparency about its factories and costs. The brand focuses on using sustainable materials, such as recycled fabrics, and ensures fair wages for factory workers.
Outerknown crafts timeless menswear and womenswear with a staunch commitment to fair labor practices. It is one of the few brands certified by the Fair Labor Association and uses sustainable materials, including organic cotton and recycled polyester.
Patagonia is a certified B Corp and 1% for the Planet member, known for environmental stewardship. It is Fair Trade certified and uses recycled and organic materials extensively, maintaining a strong commitment to sustainable practices.
Solado sources its clothing from factories in countries like Bangladesh, China, and Vietnam, known for low labor costs.
Solado does market its collections as sustainable, but the lack of data, third-party verification, and genuine initiatives suggest otherwise, raising concerns about greenwashing.
