Is Vero Moda Fast Fashion? An Expert Breakdown!
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Fast fashion has had a destructive effect on the environment ever since its inception because of the harmful practices that it is based upon. This model is undeterred by the unprecedented waste and harmful gasses it releases in addition to the exploitation of factory workers. Thus, fast fashion is an unethical mode of selling fashion overall. Even though many brands have been trying to become more eco-friendly recently, the foundation of fast fashion cannot be changed. It is like trying to put a band-aid on a bleeding wound. It may look healed and fine from the outside, but the internal bleeding is still ongoing.
The brand we’re looking at this time is Vero Moda, a Danish family-owned brand started in 1987 by Anders Holch Povlsen who wanted to create a new brand for women where they could buy more than basic clothing for their wardrobe without denting their wallet. He wanted to make high fashion accessible for middle-class women. He believed that fashion was a right that everyone deserved to enjoy.
Vero Moda wants to enable women to be able to dress the way they want and embrace their true looks at an affordable price. It produces a diverse variety of clothing so that people know the brand defines its customers by lifestyle, not by age. So, it does not matter whether you are 10 or 30, Vero Moda has something for every one of us.
It is owned by the BESTSELLER company and was one of the first brands to be launched under it. Today, it is one of the largest clothing retailers in Europe. It attempts to transform ordinary clothing into a better and more modern counterpart. It has several sub-brands under it like Vero Moda Girl and Vero Moda Curve. The former is aimed at making seasonal and contemporary garments for young girls aged from 6 to 14 while the latter was created as a response to the high demand for plus-sized clothing. The brand recognizes the beauty of the female body and the need to have an extended size range for all of its items.
Sustainability Rating: 5/10
Category: Clothing
For: Women
Products: Lingerie, Winter Wear, Tops, Jeans
Style: Casual, Contemporary
Quality: Low
Prices: -
Size: -
Fabrics: Polyester, Organic Cotton, Spandex, Viscose, Elastane, Linen, Leather, Nylon
100% Organic: No
100% Vegan: No
Ethical and Fair: No
Recycling: No
Manufacturing Countries: China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Turkey, Cambodia, Vietnam
Certifications: Not Transparent Enough
Vero Moda is known for its unique yet trendy clothes that are flattering on feminine silhouettes. It believes that clothing plays a great part in creating personality. While Vero Moda has always considered simplicity to be at the core of the brand, it is not afraid to be vibrant and bold with its designs. It even launched a special collection named Something New which features experimental designs that are far from normal.
It is quite easy to determine that Vero Moda is a fast fashion brand because it admits to creating trendy clothing itself. The garments are produced at a fast pace to keep up with the latest trends and sold at low prices. This is a key characteristic of every fast fashion brand. However, that does not mean that the brand has not taken steps to embrace sustainability.
The first step it took was launching the Aware collection which is a collection featuring sustainable modern pieces made of environmentally-friendly materials to reduce their harmful effects on the Earth and reduce the amount of waste material. Almost all of this collection has been certified by the EU Ecolabel which means that the products passed strict requirements to be allowed to be added into this collection.
Vero Moda uses four chief materials in this collection; Tencel, recycled polyester, recycled cotton, and organic cotton. By using these materials, the brand reduces the use of Earth’s natural resources which may not replenish as quickly or may not be biodegradable. Moreover, it is often thought that sustainable clothes are not as fashionable because the restriction on materials reduces the creativity of design. However, Vero Moda rejects this notion by producing Scandinavian-inspired modern clothing that also reflects elegance.
Vero Moda calls Aware its “first step towards bridging this gap between seasonal fashion and a more sustainable world”. It admits that sustainability and fashion may be at odds with each other because both serve conflicting purposes but the brand thinks that there can be a way around it. Sustainability and fashion can go hand in hand. As a brand under BESTSELLER, Vero Moda has signed the G7 fashion pact that is aimed at accelerating the fashion industry’s sustainable development.
By 2025, it aims to use recycled plastic for 100% of its packaging and be completely transparent to its customers to increase the brand’s credibility. BESTSELLER released a 2020 sustainability report in which it stated that Vero Moda is one of the first brands to make garments from Renewcell’s fiber Cellulose, which is made of waste materials.
However, the GoodOnYou directory as of September 2023 thinks that Vero Moda is not taking enough steps towards sustainability and rates it as Not Good Enough. It is not transparent enough to be taken seriously. It does not provide evidence about its water use, biodiversity protection, or greenhouse gas emissions. BESTSELLER has posted a sustainability report but it talks generally about how well all of its brands are doing instead of highlighting all the steps each brand is taking to reduce its carbon footprint and make the planet safer. At least, it has a Code of Conduct that promises to follow basic labor rights and posts a list of suppliers.
But again, there is no proof whether it actually does pay a livable wage to its workers or not. Due to this, the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index has given it a rating of 41-50% which is a very common score for all fast fashion brands as they tend to release some information and hide some. Its animal rating is comparatively better as it uses Responsible Wool Standard certified wool and down. Vero Moda can be admired for its charitable actions which consist of donating clothing and giving a part of its revenue to needy communities.
Vero Moda is aware of its responsibility toward creating a sustainable planet but its efforts are sadly, not enough. For a brand of such enormity and popularity, we expect it to take more action for the betterment of the industry. For now, it can work towards becoming more transparent to lend the brand authenticity.
Vero Moda | BESTSELLER Region East
VERO MODA - Sustainability Rating - Good On You