Is Loft Fast Fashion? An Expert Breakdown?

November 29, 2023

Originally known as Ann Taylor Loft, Loft was founded in 1998 by Richard Liebeskind as a continuation of the Ann Taylor brand and also a part of Ann Inc. which features more casual styles in the "moderate" price range for both work and home wear.

Ann Inc. is an American company of specialist clothing retail stores catering primarily to women. The business has its headquarters in New York City and is presently a division of Ascena Retail Group. Ann Inc. is divided into five divisions—Ann Taylor, Loft, Lou & Grey, Ann Taylor Factory, and Loft Outlet.

Originally, Loft's assortment was a more laid-back version of the normal Ann Taylor line; over time, it evolved into its own identity and is today recognized as a casual lifestyle brand.

LOFT is now one of the top sellers of women's clothes in North America. It has more than 500 locations and has been in operation for almost 20 years.

LOFT designs contemporary, feminine, and adaptable apparel for a broad spectrum of women, including dresses, blouses, cardigans, slacks, and jeans.

Every season, Loft offers a wide selection of must-have accessories, accessible trends, and everyday necessities such as maxi skirts, wrap dresses, rompers, coatigans, scarves, jewelry, and more. Expanded size collections, including swim, maternity, tall, and petite, are available at LOFT.

Sustainability Rating: 5/10

Category: Clothing, footwear, accessories

For: Women

Products: Tops, shirts, blouses, dresses, jackets, blazers, sweaters, jeans, skirts, knitwear, sleepwear, shoes, bags, accessories

Style: Casual

Quality: Medium

Prices: $

Sizes: XXS-XXL, 0-18 (US), 2-14 (UK), 36-45 (EU), 2-14 (AU)

Fabrics: Cotton, nylon, spandex, polyester, cashmere, crepe, linen, satin, acrylic, viscose

100% Organic: No

100% Vegan: No

Ethical & Fair: Yes

Recycling: Yes

Manufacturing countries: China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Turkey, Jordan, Philippines, Mexico, Guatemala, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, United States

Certifications: Not transparent enough

Interpretation Of The Sustainability Score

If a brand receives a rating of 5/10, it means that it is somewhat on the right track to make fashion sustainable. It is more transparent and responsible than most apparel brands and takes massive action to reduce its impacts.

What Are The Sustainability Practices Of Loft?

Loft utilizes sustainable fabric for many of its products. Eco-friendly materials used by the firm include linen, Tencel, organic cotton, and recycled polyester. By 2025, the company also promises to employ 80% sustainable materials in its goods.

Loft has also implemented strategies to minimize and reuse manufacturing waste. The company has cut the amount of water used in textile mills by more than 7.5 billion liters. Through the initiative of its Clean Water Program, this has been accomplished. Conserving water contributes to energy savings.

By cutting pieces with optimal pattern placement and reusing scraps, the brand also minimizes textile waste. Additionally, it guarantees that no clothing is produced in excess.

Loft demonstrates its commitment to lowering its carbon footprint by minimizing waste and utilizing repurposed materials.

Are There Any Ethical Practices Of Loft?

Loft is directly linked with Ann Inc., its parent company, which has assisted important suppliers in developing top-notch internal compliance systems by implementing its AT CONNECT capacity-building program.

The company claims that through AT CONNECT, it supports and encourages its suppliers to maintain safe working conditions in their factories, carry out initiatives to enhance the lives of their employees and promote supply chain sustainability.

The program enables webinars in two languages and in-person meetings to facilitate supplier engagement on best practices.

In addition, the clothing line aims to form collaborations with factories run by women. Through health education, Loft's HERProject program empowers women who work in the garment industry.

The brand empowered more than 100,000 women in its supply chain through the provision of services in four main areas: financial literacy training, health education, workplace empowerment, and enabling a supply chain that supports women. This pledge was made in 2014. The brand claims to have reached over 30,000 women in 2014.

Ann Inc. has also collaborated with Goodwill and UPS on the Give Back Box initiative. Using the box that Ann Inc. products arrive in, customers can purchase products online and donate unwanted gently worn clothing or household items to Goodwill for free.

Does Loft Give Back To The Community?

LOFT's parent company, ANN INC., announced the start of ANNCares360 in 2012, a program in collaboration with Good360, a nonprofit pioneer in product philanthropy. The initiative was to make it easier to donate usable fixtures, marketing pieces, and displays to regional organizations that assist women and children.

Through ANNCares360, Ann Taylor, LOFT, ANN Taylor Factory, and LOFT Outlet stores can register valuable, reusable items in a monitoring system that connects to Good360's online marketplace for product donations and its extensive network of over 26,000 charities.

Through donations, the service not only lessens trash but also encourages customers to reuse e-commerce packaging. Give Back Box estimates that online retailers ship 12 million boxes to customers every day, amounting to almost 30 million tons of cardboard annually.

Customers using the program can mail items to Goodwill by reusing their boxes, and Goodwill will work with the Give Back Box to make sure each box is recycled or used properly.

In 2021, Loft also collected around $50,000 in donations as a gift for the teachers at local schools.

Furthermore, Loft collaborated with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) to raise money for research in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in 2022.

At their corporate headquarters, Loft assembled a group of women who had overcome breast cancer, and each of them recounted her experience with diagnosis and treatment in order to create the campaign.

The brand made up to $100,000 donations with 90% of sales going straight to BCRF, in addition to the donations.