Is Quince Fast Fashion? An Expert Breakdown!

With fast fashion gaining so much traction for selling trendy clothes at low prices, people find it hard to stick to their eco-consciousness when sustainable and timeless clothing costs way higher in comparison. People may find fast fashion unethical and bad for the environment, but with today’s inflation, many people have no alternatives. The brand, Quince, offers you that alternative to buy environmentally-friendly garments at low prices.

Quince was made with the idea that luxury and high-quality items were merely a treat for people but the founder, Sid Gupta, wanted to create a brand that made luxury items at accessible prices so that people could satisfy their cravings for high-end fashion. It believes that quality is not a luxury and that people shouldn’t be forced to spend fortunes to wear good clothes, so the company pays a lot of attention to maintaining the quality of the garments.

Reviewers gush about the low prices that Quince offers and express surprise at the quality they receive for such pricing. That made us more tempted to check out their website and see what the hype was about. Upon spending hours checking out the endless collections offered by them, we found that it was quite inexpensive as compared to other sustainable brands! Plus, the variety it offers in both women's and men’s clothing is endless, full of sophisticated designs that scream timelessness.

The brand says that upon investigation, it was found that almost 40-50% of fast fashion trending clothes find their way to landfills in a short time, due to which Quince decided to take the noble route. It rejected fast fashion and embraced long-lasting and premium-quality clothing to create a respectable name for itself in the industry.

Moreover, it has such a large collection of items that you cannot help but buy something from the shop, from clothing and accessories to bedsheets and pillowcases, they have it all!

Sustainability Rating: 6/10

Category: Clothing, Accessories, Homeware

For: Women, Men

Products: Sweaters, Polos, Pillowcases, Blankets, Jackets

Style: Classic, Modern, Sophisticated

Quality: Medium, High

Prices: -

Size: XS-XL (International Size)

Fabrics: Polyester, Polyester Blend, Cotton, Spandex, Cotton Blend, Elastane, Nylon, Mongolian Cashmere, Silk, Leather

100% Organic: No

100% Vegan: No

Ethical and Fair: No

Recycling: No

Manufacturing Countries: Not Transparent Enough

Certifications: Not Transparent Enough

An intelligent way that Quince has managed to keep its items high-quality at low prices is by eliminating the middlemen from the equation. It directly ships items from the factory to the buyer, cutting costs of warehouses, distribution, and wholesale.

This saves ample amounts to invest in clothing and sell clothes at almost 50% less prices compared to other brands and retail shops. Furthermore, it also buys items directly from the makers instead of investing in sourcing agents who transport the material from the makers to the brand. This saves a lot of supply chain costs.

The brand grew steadily as people praised it on social media and encouraged others to buy from such an eco-friendly and affordable brand. As the saying goes, quality speaks for itself. In the same way, Quince simply put out beautiful pieces and let the clothes do the talking. Today, it has blown up on TikTok and Instagram and influencers are rushing to try it and review it before others do.

After researching for hours on the brand, we can confidently say that it is not fast fashion. It does not care about the trends but focuses on putting out timeless pieces that last longer.

Moreover, it does not compromise on the quality like fast fashion brands do. And most importantly, Quince is very adamant about sustainability and ethical labor.

It uses eco-friendly dyes, organic cotton and linen, and recycled polyester in its clothing, in addition to eliminating all virgin plastic in its packaging. It promises that by the end of the year, all of its packaging will be 100% compostable.

It also highlights that it does not work with factories that do not follow ethical protocols or responsible production which is quite admirable. Moreover, its method of shipping items directly from the manufacturer to the buyer saves a lot of carbon emissions and the exposure of harmful chemicals.

Its CEO mentions how sustainability is not the priority for a lot of customers, but he is appalled at the way the world is moving currently. Waste production is increasing as demands for newer trends keep on rising. This has strengthened his resolve to keep his brand away from the chaos of fast fashion.

However, it is quite disappointing to note that while Quince does offer a lot of transparency about its products like providing details about every raw material used and where it was made from, it is being suspected of creating a greener image of itself than it is.

It does not seem to have any environmental certifications and while some of its products are certified, they do not represent the rest of its collections. It seems that the brand only highlights the few sustainable pieces that it makes and keeps the other products away from the limelight.

Similarly, any information on its manufacturing countries is vague except that some of it is shipped from China which is notorious for unethical labor and unsafe working conditions.

Moreover, its Mongolian cashmere sweaters are not sourced from the country Mongolia but from a small community within China which increases the doubt regarding the ethical practices of the brand.

It does not have a good rating on the GoodOnYou directory either, who wonders whether it is as animal cruelty-free as it claims to be? Ecocult, a team of highly environmentally conscious people contacted Quince to demand more transparency about some of the elements of its manufacturing and shipment processes but the brand did not seem too cooperative and kept directing them towards its website.

However, these are all speculations and nothing has been proved yet but the lack of transparency regarding important processes is not casting a good light on the brand. Despite this, customers seem to be loving Quince and the low prices it offers for high-quality pieces. We can only hope that it recognizes the need to be more transparent so that eco-conscious people can buy easily from it without any doubts. 

Sources:

My Honest Quince Review - Is it good quality? (lakeshorelady.com)

quince.com/sustainability?trafficSource=footer

Quince Review: Sustainable Fashion and Home Goods for Less (insider.com)

Quince Says It's Ethical and Sustainable. Is That True? - Ecocult