A man wearing sunglasses, a printed shirt, and a bucket hat in an image faded behind the word Romwe with a highlighted sad face.
07 Jul
A man wearing sunglasses, a printed shirt, and a bucket hat in an image faded behind the word Romwe with a highlighted sad face.

How Ethical Is Romwe?

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Romwe may consider itself “cool”, but how cool is it for people, the planet, and animals in production as a fast fashion retailer? How ethical is Romwe? This article is based on the Romwe rating published in March 2022.

Let’s talk about Romwe

We hear a lot about ‘fast fashion’ brands and their unsustainable practices. But in recent years, another model of fashion retailers has emerged, churning out clothes of dubious quality at lightning speed, in who knows what conditions: ultra-fast fashion brands. And Romwe is one of these brands.

Launched in 2010, this fashion retailer describes itself as the “one-stop shop for all things cool”. Romwe calls its range of clothes, accessories, and gadgets “endless” and encourages shoppers to “discover new things [they] didn’t know [they] needed”, and therein lies the problem.

In addition to promoting overconsumption, Romwe has been criticised by shoppers and organisations for selling real fur as faux fur in the UK, producing poorly made garments, using deceptive advertising, taking weeks to ship clothes, manipulating reviews and even shipping clothes with fleas! Sorry, what?

As you might begin to understand, Romwe is a brand you should be wary of. But how is Romwe really impacting the planet, people, and animals? How sustainable and ethical is Romwe? Let’s take a look, shall we?

How ethical is Romwe?

The truth is, there’s not much to say about Romwe. Usually, in these types of articles, we have a closer look at the brand’s rating and break it down so that you know more about how a brand is performing across the three key areas of Environmental Impact, Labour Conditions, and Animal Welfare.

But for Romwe, we found, well, nothing—the brand provides insufficient relevant information about how it reduces its impact on those three areas. As a result, Romwe is rated ‘We Avoid’, our lowest possible score. As a shopper, you have the right to know how Romwe production practices impact the planet, people, and animals.

Romwe sits up there in our top ten fast fashion brands we avoid at all costs! It is the prime example of an ultra-fast fashion brand—even though the brand prides itself on “only produc[ing] 50-100 pieces per new product to ensure that no raw materials are wasted”, it still launches new collections at lightning speed, implementing high-scale production as soon as a product is on demand. Yikes!

Romwe needs to start disclosing more information about how, where, and by whom its items are produced, as well as the materials used. Transparency is crucial to ethical and sustainable fashion and is the first step towards reducing a businesses’ impact.

Note that Good On You ratings consider 100s of issues, and it is not possible to list every relevant issue in a summary of the brand’s performance. For more information, see our How We Rate page and our FAQs.

See the rating.

Luckily, the Good On You team found a few ‘Good’ and ‘Great’ brands to choose from if you want to break your fast fashion addiction and support the planet!

Good swaps

Sustainable alternatives to Romwe

Afends

Rated: Good
two images of people in tops, shirts and trousers

Offers

People in jackets by Afends.

Afends – Jackets

Expect workwear touches with a redesigned modern vibe. ⁠Exclusives featuring relaxed denims, anoraks, and puffers, designed for you to wear it well.   Exclusive 25% off Jackets with code GOODWINTER25. (Ends: 4 JUL)

Checkout code: GOODWINTER25
Shop now
People in hoodies by Afends.

Afends – New Season Hoods & Crew necks

Pieces to keep you warm through the cooler weather. From the Vintage-inspired, to graphic knits and basics in hemp, organic cotton & recycled fabrics.   Exclusive 25% off New Season Hoods & Crew necks with code GOODWINTER25. (Ends: 4 JUL)

Checkout code: GOODWINTER25
Shop now
People embracing wearing long-sleeved tops by Afends.

Afends – Long-sleeve tops

Timeless staples and hand-drawn motifs. Crafted from combinations of soft-feel recycled fabrics, hemp and blends, for those who like it loud, to the minimal. Exclusive 25% off Long-sleeve tops with code GOODWINTER25. (Ends: 4 JUL)

Checkout code: GOODWINTER25
Shop now
People in white tops and jeans by Afends.

Afends – Pants

Straight from the streets and built to keep your dry and warm during heavy weather. Your pick of on-trend, relaxed, and hugging fits to suit you. Exclusive 25% off Pants with code GOODWINTER25. (Ends: 4 JUL)

Checkout code: GOODWINTER25
Shop now

Born in Byron Bay, Afends is a responsible brand leading the way in hemp fashion. Drawing inspiration from the environment, streetwear, and surf culture, Afends’ mission is to create more sustainable clothing through innovation, action, and positive change. As true hemp advocates, they purchased 100 acres of farmland called Sleepy Hollow to grow their own hemp crops and ignite the hemp revolution.

Find most of the range in sizes XS-XL.

See the rating.

Shop Afends.

CHNGE

Rated: Good

CHNGE is a US-based sustainable fashion brand using 100% organic material, built to last a lifetime while making a statement.

Find CHNGE's inclusive clothes in sizes 2XS-4XL.

See the rating.

Shop CHNGE.

Krochet Kids

Rated: Good
boy wearing knitted fox beanie by ethical brand Krochet Kids

Krochet Kids produces ethically made clothing that creates jobs and changes lives. It uses some eco-friendly materials and is on a mission to improve social conditions for workers.

See the rating.

Shop Krochet Kids.

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.

CARIUMA

Rated: Good
yellow sustainable skate shoes by Cariuma brand

Offers

Someone in close up view wearing sneakers by Cariuma.

Cariuma – Site-wide

Embracing personal style over status-quo trends, we empower conscious consumers to buy quality over quantity. Choose more responsibly designed sneakers. Exclusive 30% off with code GOODCARIUMA20. (Ends: 28 JUN)

Checkout code: GOODCARIUMA20
Shop now

CARIUMA is a sustainable Brazilian sneaker brand that wants you to feel super comfortable while providing effortless style in organic canvas, leather, and suede styles.

Find CARIUMA's shoes in US sizes 5-13.

See the rating.

Shop CARIUMA.

Shop CARIUMA @ Good.

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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