Is Storets Fast Fashion? How Ethical & Sustainable is Storets

Discover if Storets is fast fashion. Uncover its rapid trend-driven model, affordability, and ethical concerns to make informed shopping choices today.
Written by: 
Ash Read
Last updated: 

Yes, Storets is a fast fashion brand. Its business model is built on rapidly producing trend-driven clothing at low prices, aligning with all major characteristics of fast fashion.

The brand receives low ratings for both ethical labor practices and environmental sustainability due to a profound lack of transparency and an absence of proactive initiatives. Here's what you need to know about Storets's practices:

What Makes Storets Fast Fashion?

Storets operates on a classic fast fashion model, prioritizing speed and volume to capitalize on fleeting social media trends.

  • Rapid Production Schedule: Storets drops new styles weekly or bi-weekly, launching approximately 50-60 new items every month. This high turnover ensures they are constantly offering the latest trends, mirroring the behavior of fast fashion giants like Zara and H&M.
  • Affordable, Trend-Driven Pricing: With dresses priced between $30-$50 and t-shirts from $15-$25, Storets' pricing strategy encourages frequent, high-volume purchasing. The low prices reflect the use of inexpensive materials and low-cost labor common in the fast fashion industry.
  • Offshore Mass Manufacturing: Production is outsourced to factories in countries known for low labor costs, such as China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. This allows the brand to maintain its fast production timelines and cheap prices, but often at a high human and environmental cost.
  • Trend Replication: The design process relies heavily on replicating runway looks and popular influencer styles rather than creating original designs. This speed-focused strategy is a key characteristic of fast fashion, which aims to get popular aesthetics to market as quickly as possible.

Is Storets Ethical?

Storets' ethical practices are highly questionable due to a severe lack of transparency across its supply chain.

Labor Practices

Storets does not publish a list of its suppliers or provide evidence of third-party audits, making it impossible to verify working conditions. The brand sources from countries where labor abuses are common, including excessive hours and low wages. Factory workers in these regions may earn as little as $150–$200 per month, which is well below the estimated living wage of $300–$400.

Supply Chain Transparency

Transparency is practically nonexistent. Storets provides no public information on its factories, worker safety programs, or auditing processes. This opacity means consumers have no way of knowing if the people making their clothes are treated and paid fairly. The brand does not hold any well-regarded certifications like Fair Trade or SA8000.

Animal Welfare

Storets primarily uses synthetic materials like polyester and viscose and does not appear to use animal-derived products like leather, fur, or wool. While this avoids direct animal cruelty, the brand has no stated animal welfare policy and does not hold any certifications related to animal rights.

Where Storets Falls Short Ethically

  • No Supply Chain Transparency: The company does not disclose any information about its factories, preventing independent verification of its labor standards.
  • No Fair Wage Commitments: There is no evidence that Storets ensures workers in its supply chain are paid a living wage.
  • Lack of Third-Party Audits: Without audits from organizations like the Fair Labor Association or the Clean Clothes Campaign, any claims of ethical production are unsubstantiated.
  • Reliance on High-Risk Countries: Sourcing from Bangladesh, China, and Vietnam without transparent oversight raises a high risk of labor exploitation.

Is Storets Sustainable?

Storets demonstrates a clear lack of commitment to environmental sustainability and falls significantly short of industry standards.

Materials & Sourcing

The brand overwhelmingly uses conventional, environmentally damaging materials like polyester (derived from fossil fuels) and standard cotton. There is no evidence of a significant shift toward sustainable alternatives like organic cotton or recycled polyester, with estimates suggesting eco-friendly fabrics make up less than 10% of their collections.

Environmental Impact

Storets provides no data on its carbon footprint, water usage, or chemical management. The production of synthetic fabrics is a highly polluting process, and without transparency on wastewater treatment or energy consumption, it must be assumed that the brand's environmental impact is substantial and unmitigated.

Circularity & Waste

There are no take-back, resale, or repair programs offered by Storets. The rapid production model contributes directly to textile waste, and the focus on trend-based, low-quality items encourages a disposable mindset. Packaging typically involves single-use plastics without sustainable alternatives.

Sustainability Goals & Progress

Storets has not published any specific, measurable sustainability goals or targets, such as reducing its carbon emissions or increasing its use of sustainable materials. It is not a signatory to major climate agreements like the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action.

Where Storets Falls Short on Sustainability

  • Dependence on Virgin Synthetics: The brand relies heavily on fossil-fuel-based fabrics like polyester without significant use of recycled alternatives.
  • Lack of Environmental Reporting: Storets does not disclose any data on its emissions, water, or chemical usage, making accountability impossible.
  • No Circular Initiatives: The linear "take-make-waste" model remains fully intact, with no programs to extend the life of its products.
  • Absence of Certifications: The brand lacks any reputable environmental certifications like GOTS, OEKO-TEX, B Corp, or Climate Neutral.

Our Verdict: Storets's Ethical & Sustainability Grades

Storets' model is fundamentally reliant on the speed, volume, and low costs that define fast fashion, with little to no regard for its ethical or environmental ramifications. The brand's deep lack of transparency makes it a poor choice for conscious consumers.

Ethical Practices: D

Storets earns a D for its failure to provide any transparency into its supply chain. Without any evidence of fair wage policies, independent audits, or worker safety initiatives, it is impossible to trust that its products are made ethically. Relying on manufacturing in high-risk regions without accountability presents a serious and ongoing ethical concern.

Sustainability: D

The brand receives a D for sustainability due to its heavy use of environmentally harmful materials, lack of public-facing sustainability goals, and zero circularity programs. Its business model inherently promotes overconsumption and disposability, directly undermining environmental progress. There are no meaningful efforts to mitigate its significant ecological footprint.

Ethical & Sustainable Alternatives to Storets

If you're looking for trend-forward styles but are concerned by Storets's poor ethical and environmental ratings, consider these better alternatives:

Reformation

Reformation offers trendy, feminine styles with a strong commitment to sustainability, using eco-friendly materials like Tencel and recycled fabrics. The brand is Climate Neutral Certified and provides detailed transparency about its factories and environmental footprint.

Shop now at thereformation.com

People Tree

A pioneer in ethical fashion, People Tree guarantees Fair Trade practices and uses sustainable materials like organic cotton. While its style is more classic than trendy, it's a great choice for staples produced with the highest ethical standards.

Shop now at peopletree.co.uk

Armedangels

This German brand creates modern, sustainable fashion using materials like organic cotton and recycled textiles. Armedangels is GOTS certified and maintains a strong commitment to fair working conditions and supply chain transparency.

Shop now at armedangels.com

Eileen Fisher

Known for its commitment to minimal waste, Eileen Fisher offers timeless pieces made from high-quality, sustainable materials like organic linen and silk. This B Corp brand also has a robust take-back program, turning old clothes into new designs.

Shop now at eileenfisher.com

Patagonia

For outdoor and casual wear, Patagonia sets an industry-leading standard for both ethical and environmental practices. The brand is a certified B Corp and a Fair Trade partner, uses primarily recycled materials, and actively pushes back against overconsumption.

Shop now at patagonia.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Storets so cheap?

Storets keeps its prices low by using inexpensive, often synthetic materials and manufacturing its clothes in countries with low labor costs like China and Vietnam. This business model prioritizes high sales volume over material quality and ethical labor compensation.

Does Storets use ethical manufacturing?

There is no evidence to suggest that Storets uses ethical manufacturing. The brand does not disclose information about its factories, does not have third-party certifications like Fair Trade, and hasn't made public commitments to paying living wages, raising serious red flags about potential labor exploitation.

Is Storets getting more sustainable?

Currently, there is no public indication that Storets is making significant strides in sustainability. The brand has not announced any major goals for using sustainable materials, reducing its carbon footprint, or implementing circular programs, and maintains the core manufacturing practices of a typical fast fashion company.