After considering all factors, we explained below; we believe Killstar is a fast fashion brand that does not think much about ethics as they’re not addressing their environmental impact, transparency, fair trade, and social impact with the required focus. It is good that they don’t mass produce as styles across categories are out of stock any time and have a circularity program in place still; we would not consider them ethical and sustainable, but a pure fast fashion brand as for us fast fashion means more than just mass producing.
Killstar must do a lot to be considered an earth and people-friendly brand.
Must Check: Sustainable Fashion Brands From USA?
How Ethical & Sustainable is Killstar? 5 Ranking Factors
Killstar is a popular clothing and lifestyle brand with a significant following for its gothic and alternative fashion. However, with concerns about the fashion industry’s environmental impact and labor practices, many consumers are now prioritizing ethical fashion choices. In this blog post, we’ll look closer at Killstar’s ethical practices, including its approach to sustainability, labor practices, and animal welfare. By the end of this article, you will better understand how ethically the Killstar brand operates, allowing you to make more informed choices regarding your fashion purchases.
People Transparency
Killstar has a section on its terms and conditions page about its supplier policy and a note on the website that all its products are manufactured in Asia. But that’s not enough. What the hell with Asia? It has 48 countries, so what shall we assume? In which countries are killstar products made? A few products have a description where the manufacturing country, like China, is mentioned, but as I said, that’s only mentioned in a few products. The transparency is a root for a sustainable fashion as I’ve also given it emphasis on my video about killstar.
They say they don’t contract sweatshops, but how can we trust it? They don’t disclose the name of factories and where they are located or how they select manufacturers; they say, “we expect our suppliers to adhere to 9 principles” you should focus on the word expect, which means they assume but are not strict. More on transparency, they don’t have a single page on the website where they disclose a complete list of materials they use in their products and from where they source these materials.
What about their sustainability goals & practices? Sorry, they don’t disclose it either, or at least not easily accessible on their website for customers to look at.
Overall, they have only a few paragraphs discussing the transparency of their supply chain, which is not enough, so transparency-wise, we rate them ‘very poor.’
Labor & Working Conditions
We clicked on every potential link on the killstar website, but there’s no robust transparency about the working conditions in their supply chain; yes, as you can see in the screenshot, they say to have social responsibility standards, but there is no mention of any such measures.
One good thing, though, is that they support BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, veterans, neurodivergent, and disabled individuals in applying for a job in their company and give them equal opportunity to rise and share their values, however still there’s no mention of a living wage for labor that creates killstar clothes. When choosing the factories, they claim they don’t manufacture in sweatshops and approve those factories in person. Still, that’s not satisfying because they follow no code of conduct or policies that set strict labor standards and guidelines.
Environmental Impact
The environmental rating is also poor, as Killstar uses no recycled, organic, or eco-friendly materials. While going through their inventory, they have some 100% cotton products, but there’s no evidence that it is not conventional cotton. Polyester and Viscose are the primary materials most of their garments are made. One major downside of the brand is that it has no page that lists all the materials they use and how they are sourced, no certifications, standards…nothing. They actively use polyester (not talking recycled); I’ve seen styles with 100% polyester.
“Your morality and ethics should not be limited to humans as it should expand to aquatic life whom you are force-feed these toxic microplastics.”
Much energy is used to make polyester and a ton of CO2; to your knowledge, 2 square meters of polyester fabric is equivalent to 6.4kg of CO2e. Do you want me to talk about microfiber pollution? A person who washes polyester-made killstar clothes will be responsible for shedding 700 to 4000 microfibers per gram of fabric just in a single wash. Not sustainable and not ethical either. “Your morality and ethics should not be limited to humans as it should expand to aquatic life whom you force-feed these toxic microplastics.”
Here’s a complex situation: killstar has a circularity program that allows buyers to sell their used killstar clothing to those interested in buying gothic at a low price. Yes, it is helping them not to end up in a landfill.
To win the game of trends, sustainability is mutilated from one or more sides or pillars in my language.
Michael – Outdoor Favor
Animal Welfare
As far as We have researched. We did not see any animal-derived fabric in their product descriptions though a few sources say that Killstar uses wool for some products. So, the animal rating is fair. But that does not mean it is sustainable because they use faux leather and fur, made from petroleum-based materials and unsuitable for the environment. Instead, they could use organic/natural fur & leather like Pinatex, waxed cotton, recycled rubber, leaf leather, cork, etc.; there are many alternatives the company could use to get a step closer to doing good.
The above Killstar leather jacket uses 59% polyurethane and 41% polyester, so yes, composition tells us it is a vegan leather jacket made harming no animals. Still, its chemicals will harm both people and animals directly or indirectly.
Social Impact
Killstar shows or has no Corporate Responsibility Report where we can see the utilization of funds and revenue, how they are giving back, and what communities they help. There’s no transparent information, so we guess they’re not giving back for the greater good because if they do, they must have used it to market their products or brand name.
If you’re interested in how we rate brands, then you can check our rating post, where we have gone in-depth about the most complicated rating system on the internet where a brand truly needs to be deserving to earn our badge.
Michael is heavily inclined towards traveling to natural places and documenting cultures/people from different parts of the world. He also loves hiking and camping and is spirited toward all outdoor activities. He will share his passion for outdoor life and brands or products we use outside our homes. He has good research skills, and that’s why you can see why his articles are packed with info that is factual and not readily available. He also has the vision to travel the whole world and share it with all readers of Outdoor Favor.
