Is Joe Fresh Fast Fashion? An Expert Breakdown!

Some of the first words that come to our minds when we hear the terms affordable fashion are Zara, Shein, and Forever 21, as they have cemented themselves in the industry for their stylish pieces and cheap prices. Joe Fresh is another brand that has gained immense popularity in Canada for its trendy garments and various accessories.

Instead of focusing on a single gender or a particular item, Joe Fresh is more family-oriented as it sells garments for women, men, and children, even producing uniforms. This makes the brand a popular spot for families who may not have the time to go to separate shops for everyone’s clothing and can instead have access to everything in one place.

It was founded by Joe Mimran who had the idea of developing a retail store for women, men, and kids’ clothing and accessories in Toronto. It is not an independent brand and is instead owned by Loblaw Companies Limited which owns many other clothing and beauty stores. It was established to provide modern and stylish clothing to everyone, regardless of age and gender because everyone deserves to shine.

Due to the overwhelmingly positive response that it achieved, Joe Fresh expanded to the United States and currently owns over 1000 stores in Canada. A while back, it even launched its app which made it even more accessible than it already was. It believes in the transformative power of fashion and that beauty leads to self-expression. It is another way one can express who they are without outrightly defining or introducing themselves. Moreover, for many people clothing is also a way for many individuals to be upfront about who they are when society refuses to accept a part of them.

This is why its team of designers works day and night to bring new designs to life for people in all walks of life, who may need just a push of confidence to shine bright. One should never underestimate the power of clothing and beauty.

Sustainability Rating: 4/10

Category: Clothing, Accessories, Shoes

For: Women, Men, Kids

Products: Dresses, Tops, Loungewear, Boots, Swimwear, Activewear

Style: Casual, Trendy

Quality: Low, Medium

Prices: -

Size: 2XS - 3XL (International Size)

Fabrics: Polyester, Cotton, Nylon, Rayon, Viscose, Wool, Leather, Spandex Linen, Acrylic, Silk

100% Organic: No

100% Vegan: No

Ethical and Fair: No

Recycling: No

Manufacturing Countries: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia, China, Thailand, Vietnam

Certifications: Not Transparent Enough

 

Recently, Joe Fresh introduced its back-to-school campaign that is claimed to be made with even better fabrics and style. Plus, it is great for all kids as it is not only stylish but also affordable which makes it ideal for all families. Moreover, one might think of uniforms when school comes to mind, but Joe Fresh surprised its customers by also including activewear for fun activities at school! So, if your child has his annual sports day coming up and a back-to-school party all at once, one visit to Joe Fresh can solve all of your problems.

And wait, there is more. Isn’t it normal for kids to have a torn backpack by the end of the year and ruined shoes? Joe Fresh has you covered there as well as it has a wonderful collection of backpacks and school accessories that will not let your child look away. This deep dive into its school collection must have given you an idea of how extensive the rest of its collection may be. It gives great attention to detail and makes sure that an outfit is complete with all the necessary accessories before releasing it into the world.

This is why it is hard to categorize Joe Fresh as fast fashion as even though it does keep up with trends and discards particular garments when the trend dies, it also releases its exclusive collections for which designers tire themselves day and night. It is said to be of considerably higher quality than the other clothes. Those collections are timeless and of sophisticated designs aimed at people who would not mind spending a little extra for better quality clothes that will also last a long time.

Similarly, Joe Fresh wants to improve on the sustainability front but it still has a long way to go. Most of its fabrics and materials are not organic and it only uses a small amount of organic cotton, recycled polyester, and regenerated nylon. It provides no certifications for the organic material it uses which puts its credibility into suspicion as well. However, its desire to improve becomes apparent by its transparency. It publishes a list of manufacturers on its website which enables anyone to track where it gets its clothing from.

Even though, it uses foreign countries like China and Pakistan to manufacture its clothing, where labor conditions are at an all-time low, most of its clothes are produced in Canada. However, one does wonder whether it cares for ethics in its supply chain or not seeing that countries with terrible working conditions are making the items for Joe Fresh. People are known to be forced into labor there and even made to work till they pass out with meager pay.

However, Joe Fresh seems to be working with some non-government agencies and brands to improve working conditions for millions in the world. This was not enough though, because it received a rating of only 18% from the Fashion Transparency Index which deems Joe Fresh very low on the scale of being clear about its sustainable and ethical practices.

Also, it may be disappointing for animal lovers but Joe Fresh does feature clothing pieces made of leather, wool, and silk in its stores and their origin is unclear. One can only guess that it does not give much thought to animal welfare. It also does not provide any information on its water usage or the emission of greenhouse gasses.

It has listed many aims on its website regarding sustainability like wanting to reduce its carbon footprint by almost 50% by 2030 and using 100% recyclable packaging by 2025. It also aims to alleviate food waste in the next few months by a considerable amount. All these goals are quite admirable but we hope to see them come through instead of being baseless claims that are never followed through. Thus, Joe Fresh may not be completely fast fashion but it is toeing the line into becoming one.

 Sources:

Joe Fresh’s Back-To-School Collection is Stylish, Kid-Approved & Wallet-Friendly - Narcity

Is Joe Fresh Fast Fashion? Is It Ethical? (ethicallyengineered.com)

Joe Fresh takes US trendy apparel turf war to app | Retail Dive