Buckle up: it’s time for us to spill the tea on the best and worst rated fashion brands of 2022, as ranked “Great” and “We Avoid” by our world-leading methodology. The gist? Ultra fast fashion brands are still ultra bad, and the forerunners in sustainability are still leading by example.
2022 in fashion news: wrapped
2022 has been a tumultuous year for fashion and beyond. More than ever before, industry and consumer alike are realising the time for making small changes is over, and far-reaching change is needed if we as a society are going to save ourselves from the impending climate disaster.
Unfortunately, as highlighted in our COP27 report, little has changed for the better in the industry since last year. In reviewing over 4,000 brands with our world-leading methodology, we found that “despite observing some positive steps forward, the overwhelming narrative remains the same this time around. Spoiler alert: It’s too much greenwashing, too little action.”
So, what has that looked like on the ground level? As ever, notorious ultra fast fashion brands have been making headlines for all the wrong reasons, with their questionable motives coming under fire.
A lack of lasting action across the industry
SHEIN won’t back down from its excessive overproduction, and instead has tried the tact of launching a “circular” line, evoluSHEIN, and selling its poor-quality clothes second hand amid sustainability scrutiny.
Similarly, Boohoo has recently come under investigation in a report in The Times exposing unethical treatment of workers in its warehouses, this following its launch of a “conscious collection” with Kourtney Kardashian Barker.
These moves are all textbook greenwashing and are made by harmful companies desperate to appeal to the growing conscious consumer market without implementing any real and lasting change in their practices.
The world of high fashion also needs to make rapid changes but seems increasingly out of touch. Instead of using their global reach to spread awareness on the deeply-entrenched issues in the industry, the recent round of fashion weeks saw gimmicks like spray-on dresses, purposely distressed clothes, and a mud pit. There is a clear lack of urgency about the impending climate crisis and the role the industry should be playing in mitigating it, from both ends of the fashion spectrum.
Positive steps in the right direction
It’s not all doom and gloom, though. “Good” brand Patagonia made history this year when founder Yvon Chouinard transferred ownership to a climate crisis-fighting nonprofit, embodying the company’s values of minimal harm and positive impact.
This year also saw the launch of the crucial Fashion Revolution-supported campaign Good Clothes, Fair Pay, which demands a living wage for the people who make our clothes and is aiming for 1 million signatures from EU citizens to help push for legislation. It’s part of a broader, international push to pass regulation that holds fashion brands to account.
The role of Good On You’s ratings
Shoppers are better than ever at seeing through shallow and untrue claims in the industry and are using their voice to demand positive change. As fashion’s most rigorous and comprehensive ratings platform, we’ve observed a growing number of consumers checking the big brands’ records and opting to go second hand or support more sustainable, independent designers. In furthering this mission, 2022 saw Good On You reach some exciting milestones, which you can read all about in our Year In Review roundup.
With over 4,000 fashion brand ratings now live on the directory and in the app, and more coming every day, it’s easier than ever to compare brands’ impacts on the issues that matter most. But for those wondering who the standouts are on both ends of the spectrum, this survey highlights the brands that score the lowest and the highest based on our world-leading methodology.
Without further ado, here is our roundup of the best and worst fashion brands of 2022.
10 of the worst rated brands “We Avoid”
These well-known brands are almost all ultra fast fashion brands that create cheap clothing at breakneck speeds, and they’re all rated “We Avoid”, our lowest score, often owing to a total lack of transparency. They are making no headway or concrete effort for people, the planet, or animals across the supply chain and are notorious for poor quality clothing that often ends up in landfill after just a few wears.
10 of the highest rated brands doing “Great”
While it’s important to call out those poorly-rated brands that are harming the planet and its inhabitants, the best part about what we do at Good On You is discovering and sharing “Good” and “Great” fashion brands that care about reducing their impact. These are 10 of the highest rated brands of 2022 that deserve your support, all scoring “Great” across the board for their efforts.
