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16 Sep

These 12 Clothing Brands Actually Pay Their Workers A Living Wage

Our editors curate highly rated brands that are first assessed by our rigorous ratings system. Buying through our links may earn us a commission—supporting the work we do. Learn more.

 

Living wages are a crucial part of a more ethical and sustainable fashion system for all, and while some brands may make vague claims about paying the “legal minimum wage”, others are committed to certified living wages that ensure workers can lead a decent life.

Living wages v minimum wages

Fashion supply chains are murky, and despite our best intentions as conscious consumers, it can be tricky to track whether brands are ticking all the right boxes behind the scenes and ensure we’re making purchases that match our morals.

One crucial topic finally starting to garner the attention it deserves on the world stage is living wages, making headlines in 2022 with the Good Clothes, Fair Pay campaign in Europe. A living wage can be defined as the bare minimum monetary compensation required for workers and their families to have a decent life. Not to be mistaken for minimum wages, which simply refer to the lowest legal amount employers are allowed to pay employees in any given area. Minimum wages often don’t meet workers’ basic needs, and not all countries have a lower minimum wage limit.

A living wage can be defined as the bare minimum monetary compensation required for workers and their families to have a decent life.

Workers in all industries deserve to be paid enough to ensure they and their loved ones can live a life of safety, health, and dignity. Fashion, in particular, is notorious for unfair wages, problematic “piece rate” payments, and even forced and child labour. While there is no globally agreed-upon definition of a living wage, organisations like The Asia Floor Wage Alliance and the Global Living Wage Coalition are two widely accepted methodologies used to calculate minimum living wages.

The reality is, there’s no evidence that the vast majority of major brands pay living wages. We dug into the rich data here at Good On You, fashion’s most rigorous and comprehensive ratings system. What we found is alarming but not all that surprising: there’s no evidence to be found about living wages for a whopping 86% of large brands. That means 86% of the world’s most profitable fashion brands either don’t disclose anything about living wages or are confirmed to not pay living wages at any stage of the supply chain.

86% of the world’s most profitable fashion brands either don’t disclose anything about living wages or are confirmed to not pay living wages at any stage of the supply chain.

The following brands have been rated by our world-leading methodology, which considers 500-plus data points across more than 100 key issues, indicators, and standards systems to award final scores, including the “People” score that pays close attention to progress towards and implementation of true living wages. Let’s meet the brands doing better for workers by paying a living wage in some, most, or all of their supply chains.

12 brands paying their workers fair wages

Monsoon Blooms

Rated: Great
man wearing yellow monsoon blooms t-shirt

Following the wisdom of Ayurveda, Monsoon Blooms creates Fairtrade International-certified organic cotton underwear and basics, naturally dyed with plants. It does not use any animal products and makes its product by hand to reduce its climate impact. It ensures payment of a living wage in most of its supply chain.

Find sizes S-L.

See the rating.

Shop Monsoon Booms.

Thunderpants USA and NZ

Rated: Great

Thunderpants USA is a manufacturer of quirky, organic cotton underpants for the whole family.

See the rating.

Shop Thunderpants USA @ Made Trade.

Shop Thunderpants USA.

Thunderpants is a New Zealand brand that makes clothing for the whole family, designed to fit and built to last.

See the rating.

Shop Thunderpants NZ.

No Nasties

Rated: Great

Another leader when it comes to responsible fashion, No Nasties makes simple and stylish clothing from Fairtrade organic cotton in India where it is actively working to grow the ethical consumer market.

Find styles in sizes 2XS-3XL.

See the rating.

Shop No Nasties.

Shop No Nasties @ Made Trade.

Dedicated

Rated: Great
People in colourful, contemporary styles by responsible brand Dedicated.

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people casually posed around a pool wearing clothing from the SS24 collection by Dedicated.

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If you love a great graphic print, Swedish label Dedicated has you covered. Dedicated is a responsible streetwear brand for men, women, and children. All cotton used in its clothes is 100% organic, and most pieces are Fairtrade certified, which means that you don’t have to sacrifice your ethics to dress in style.

Find the clothes in XS-XL.

See the rating.

Shop Dedicated.

Shop Dedicated @ Earthkind.

The Classic T-Shirt Company

Rated: Good

The Classic T-Shirt Company is a US brand that creates premium, responsibly-made t-shirts with luxury and integrity. All of its products are made from GOTS certified organic cotton and it doesn't use any animal-derived materials.

The Classic T-Shirt Company’s range is available in US sizes XS-3XL.

See the rating.

Shop The Classic T-Shirt Company.

Noctu

Rated: Good
A woman in a black nightdress

Noctu is a UK-based brand that creates beautiful and comfortable nightwear and loungewear. Minimalist styles made from luxuriously soft organic cotton, where simplicity and function meet comfort.

Shop sizes S-L.

See the rating.

Shop Noctu.

People Tree

Rated: Great

Conscious fashion pioneer and leader People Tree is a seriously more responsible brand. It uses lower-impact materials and addresses labour risks by adopting the Fairtrade International - Small Producers Organisations Code of Conduct.

Find most products in UK sizes 6-18.

See the rating.

Shop People Tree EU.

Shop People Tree @ Wearwell.

Armedangels

Rated: Great

Innovative, responsible, and on-trend. Germany’s Armedangels gets a top score overall from us. The brand covers all the basics in womenswear, menswear, and kidswear. Armedangels' quality and long-lasting pieces are made from lower-impact and certified materials, like Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified cotton. The brand also adopted the Fair Wear Foundation Code of Conduct to protect its workers abroad.

Its products are available in sizes XS-XL.

See the rating.

Shop Armedangels.

Shop Armedangels @ Earthkind.

Shop Armedangels @ Cerqular.

Yes Friends

Rated: Great

Yes Friends is a UK-based fashion brand that creates more affordable clothing for everyone. Yes Friends' first product, classic cut t-shirts, cost less than £4 to make and the brand only charges £7.99. Using large scale production and direct to consumer margins means Yes Friends can charge you an affordable price for its more responsible clothing.

Find the range inclusively sized in 2XS-4XL.

See the rating.

Shop Yes Friends.

Dawn Denim

Rated: Great

Dawn Denim is a German denim brand that features jeans that fit our times. The brand strives to empower women to change the way clothes are made, sold and worn. Making your butt look good in jeans is a welcomed side-effect.

Find the jeans in XS-3XL.

See the rating.

Shop Dawn Denim.

Shop Dawn Denim @ Cerqular.

Citizen Wolf

Rated: Great

Citizen Wolf uses revolutionary technology to give you high-quality custom fit t-shirts. It's so confident in its t-shirts that it guarantees they’ll be the best you’ve ever worn. After capturing your customisations, the brand hand makes each tee in Sydney from certified lower-impact fabrics like cotton, hemp, and Merino wool milled in Melbourne.

See the rating.

Shop Citizen Wolf.

FUTURA Jewelry

Rated: Great

FUTURA Jewelry is a New York based responsible jewellery brand. Each piece of FUTURA Jewelry is handcrafted with mercury-free 18kt Certified Fairmined Ecological gold. The brand's gold comes from the three certified Fairmined mines in the world that mine for gold without the use of toxic chemicals including mercury and cyanide.

See the rating.

Shop FUTURA Jewelry.

Editor's note

Feature image via Unsplash. All other images via brands mentioned. Good On You publishes the world’s most comprehensive ratings of fashion brands’ impact on people, the planet, and animals. Use our directory to search thousands of rated brands.

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