Unethical brands are stores that support child labor, overconsumption, unpaid overtime, poor working conditions, and/or have no regard for worker's rights or environmental safety. Extensive reports and articles prove that time and time again, these five brands should not receive a dime from consumers to continue manufacturing under these unethical conditions.
Forever 21
When someone hears the words "fast fashion", Forever 21 is probably one of the first stores that comes to mind. If you think about their large inventory and incredibly cheap prices, it's inevitable that this brand compensates for it by underpaying their workers and forcing them to work in an unsafe environment.
Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret contracts their labor to sweatshops in Asian countries, where workers are forced to work overtime everyday. The clothing brand also sources their cotton from brands that hire child laborers, so Victoria's Secret is a big, fat, thumbs down.
UNIQLO
Worker's rights and working conditions were shown to be severely overlooked at UNIQLO's factories in China in 2016. Reports showed excessive overtime, low pay, dangerous working conditions and oppressive management.
Zara
Zara contributes to rapid consumption by releasing new clothing every two weeks. The store also refuses to disclose their sources of leather and down, which raises some eyebrows, and not to mention, was accused of being anti-semitic on several different occasions over the past decade.
Misguided
Recently, Misguided was ranked as one of the most unsustainable brands in the UK, meaning the company contributes to overproduction and waste.
