Is Weekday Fast Fashion? An Expert Breakdown!
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People have started to become more aware of sustainability and their responsibility to the planet in recent years. They want to buy from brands that are eco-conscious so that they do not contribute to the ongoing climate change crisis taking place in the world. However, the fashion industry is one of the biggest contributors of toxic wastes and greenhouse gases so it is hard to find sustainable brands.
Weekday is a Swedish brand that was started in 2000 by a group of friends to sell denim and fashion clothing. When it was launched, the store only opened on weekends but people really liked the brand and it officially began to open on all days and changed its name accordingly. It slowly expanded to 14 countries and began shipping to more than 80 countries. It was bought by H&M, which is a company owning several fast fashion brands, six years later and was promoted as a sustainable brand.
Its clothes exude high street fashion and despite the brand keeping up with modern trends, it infuses the typical Scandinavian design in all of its collections as well to remain in touch with its roots and lend the Weekday designs a uniqueness. Its stores are also designed to reflect minimalism and elegance while also combining them with colors to attract young customers.
Weekday’s collections boast a modern influence combined with elegance and casualness. While it can appeal to people who are just looking for something casual like T-shirts and jeans, it also appeals to people looking for something formal and luxurious. Many customers turn to low-priced brands for clothing that resembles high luxury but is not as expensive. Weekday provides you with such an experience by replicating catwalk designs and the latest fashion pieces.
Its prices are quite affordable which makes it an ideal stop for teenagers and young adults who can only spend to a certain extent. Moreover, it holds fun and immersive programs at its stores which is a good experience for the customers.
Sustainability Rating: 7/10
Category: Clothing, Accessories
For: Women, Men, Kids
Products: Dresses, Bottoms, Outerwear, Scarves
Style: Casual, Formal
Quality: Low
Prices: -
Size: -
Fabrics: Polyester, Organic Cotton, Spandex, Viscose, Elastane, Linen, Leather, Nylon
100% Organic: No
100% Vegan: Yes
Ethical and Fair: No
Recycling: No
Manufacturing Countries: Not Transparent Enough
Certifications: Not Transparent Enough
Weekday takes its responsibility to the planet very seriously. It admits that the fashion industry is contributing a lot to climate change and that it is in its hands to make a change. Weekday has been adamant about playing its role for years but it knows that it is still far from enough. It has tried to ingrain sustainability at its very core so that no process can take place that may bring harm to the Earth.
Its website states that it currently sources almost 99% of sustainable and recycled materials and it has many goals for further improvement in the future. It has collaborated with the Better Cotton Initiative which makes sure that the cotton Weekday uses is sustainably sourced or organic. Even though its jeans are not 100% organic, the brand has tried that all of them must have at least some percentages of organic material in them.
It also uses recycled waste made of PET bottles to manufacture swimwear and makes use of leftover products or waste material for other purposes by working with Reverse Resources. This way it ensures that no material is left to rot in landfills, adding to land pollution. It started several collections that featured only sustainable clothes like “There is No Planet B” but aside from this, it has incorporated eco-friendly materials in almost 85% of its products.
The brand aims to become fully circular and it has been trying to validate its efforts by working with organizations that can approve or disapprove its actions. More than a third of its jeans are already manufactured following The Jeans Redesign Guidelines that ensure that jeans are produced in an environmentally friendly method. However, Weekday did not achieve this milestone overnight. It increased audits and testing of the products to make them sustainable as soon as possible.
The sustainability head of Weekday said,
“We see the work towards circular denim as a continuous process and are constantly searching for better alternatives to improve.”
The brand does not stop here though. It believes in being circular and responsible in the entire supply chain. It believes that without the people and its employees, the brand would be nowhere where it is today. If the employees are satisfied then the brand would be able to direct focus towards a healthier planet more positively.
It promotes diversity and inclusivity in its supply chain and takes providing people with good working conditions as a duty. It has many admirable goals that it wishes to fulfill in the future about human rights and providing benefits for the employees like enabling its employees and families to flourish, making sure that all of their rights are being respected, and paying them livable wages, not minimum wage.
Most brands think that by paying minimum wage, they have fulfilled their responsibility but that is not the case. Minimum wage does not ensure being able to live on it and many factory workers struggle to take care of their basic needs. Keeping this in mind, Weekday’s goals should be appreciated.
Moreover, it provides the H&M Group’s Human Rights Policy that aligns with the International Labor Organization’s Fundamental Principals and Rights at Work on its website. Weekday also received a rating of 70% by the Fashion Transparency Index for being transparent and taking adequate steps to protect the planet and people. This rating is outstanding for a fashion brand and one of the highest ones we’ve seen so far.
However, Weekday is still a fast fashion brand that replicates fashion trends and sells them at very low prices. That is not to say that it is a regular fast fashion brand. It has taken many steps to make sure that all of the production process remains sustainable but the very model of fast fashion is based on harming the Earth to produce items that last for a very short period. Weekday must pull away from the fast fashion mold soon to achieve higher goals.
It even got a rating of 4 out of 5 by the GoodOnYou directory for being animal cruelty-free. It condemns the use of fur, angora, and exotic skin. If it does use any material from animals, it makes sure to do it in a cruelty-free method by getting it verified by the proper organizations.
Weekday’s sustainability efforts have certainly been refreshing to see and many of its goals are on the way to being fulfilled very soon. If you are conscious of shopping here, we assure you that most of the brand’s products are organic and sustainable.
We visit the UK’s first Weekday store | News | Dalziel & Pow (dalziel-pow.com)
Social Responsibility - Weekday WW
Working conditions - H&M Group (hmgroup.com)
Is Weekday Ethical and Sustainable? - Wear Next. (wear-next.com)