Abercrombie & Fitch
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
US label selling casual clothing, denim, outerwear and accessories.
In 2021, suppliers in Karnataka, India, failed to pay workers a legally required minimum wage increase.
Also worth knowing
Abercrombie & Fitch has only partly put this right.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Abercrombie & Fitch? Send a right of reply.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and clear breaches of labour conditions. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: unpaid or underpaid wages, last recorded in 2021.
Good requirements 3 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: abuse of workers, last recorded in 2018
- Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings, other than one it has put rightIts supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2019, which it has since acted on. That's listed below and no longer counts against the grade.
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listPublishes its supplier list
- Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Abercrombie & Fitch's own disclosure: it publishes its supplier list. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 25% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| China | Not given | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Cambodia | 16% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | Not given | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Guatemala | Not given | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | 9% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Publishes supplier list
- Modern slavery statement
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- Doesn't show where its cotton comes from. Cotton is linked to forced labour in Xinjiang and Turkmenistan, and child labour in several growing regions, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
Research notes Abercrombie & Fitch clothing is made by about 124 independent vendors in 15 countries; in the year to January 2026, 37% of merchandise came from Vietnam, 26% from Cambodia and 11% from India, and the company also names China, Bangladesh and Guatemala. It publishes a factory list covering all cut-and-sew factories and most fabric mills, uses third-party audits, and tests cotton origin with Oritain. It requires only legal minimum wages, has no living wage commitment, has not signed the International Accord and scored 31/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Abercrombie & Fitch Co. scored 31 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), the same as in 2024. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Abercrombie & Fitch Co. scored 33% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, above the 26% average. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Abercrombie & Fitch Co. publishes an annual UK Modern Slavery Act statement covering its supply chain (latest July 2026, for the year to January 2026). View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Profile records alignment with the Transparency Pledge and no public evidence (Fashion Checker) that suppliers pay a living wage. View |
Confirmed issues 3
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Garment suppliers in Karnataka, India, including Shahi Exports, Gokaldas and Arvind, withheld a legally mandated 2020 minimum wage increase from about 400,000 workers; Abercrombie & Fitch was among the brands named as sourcing from them (Worker Rights Consortium via BHRRC, 2022). Source · search the archive | PartlyA&F said affected workers in its supply chain had started receiving the wages owed; WRC confirmed most but not all suppliers had paid in full by July 2022. |
| 2019 | Link through a supplierThe Australian Strategic Policy Institute's 2020 'Uyghurs for Sale' report named Abercrombie & Fitch among 83 brands linked to Chinese factories using Uyghur workers transferred under state labour programmes (ASPI via BHRRC, 2020). Source · search the archiveActed on The company has acted on this link, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesTold ASPI it had instructed its vendors to end their relationships with the suppliers named; no remedy for the workers has been reported. |
| 2018 | The Worker Rights Consortium found in 2018 that managers at Shahi Exports' Unit 8 factory in Bengaluru, India, which made Abercrombie & Fitch products, beat, threatened and pushed out union activists (WRC, 2018). Source · search the archive | PartlyThe 15 workers were reinstated with an apology and a union recognition agreement, but the WRC said brands did not require all corrective steps. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Abercrombie & Fitch Co - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Ethical Fashion Report 2026 score 31/100 (average 31.5); FTI 2023 33%; has not signed the International Accord
- WRC Assessment re Shahi Exports Unit 8, India (2018) · search the archive · Union activists beaten and threatened at Shahi Unit 8, Bengaluru, a factory supplying Abercrombie & Fitch
- Major brands implicated in report on forced labour beyond Xinjiang (BHRRC) · search the archive · ASPI 2020 names Abercrombie & Fitch; A&F told vendors to end ties with the suppliers
- India: Karnataka garment workers struggle after suppliers refuse to pay mandated wage increase (BHRRC) · search the archive · A&F named among brands; WRC: $23.1m paid to ~200,000 workers by July 2022, some suppliers still owing
- Abercrombie & Fitch Co. 10-K FY2025: sourcing concentration by merchandise receipts · search the archive · Year to Jan 2026: Vietnam 37%, Cambodia 26%, India 11%, other locations 26% of merchandise receipts
- Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Form 10-K, fiscal 2025 · search the archive · About 124 vendors in 15 countries; about 43,200 associates as of January 31, 2026
Published by Abercrombie & Fitch or its owner
- UK Modern Slavery Act statement (July 2026) - A&F Co. · search the archive · Year to Jan 2026; lists 100% of Tier 1 and 90% of mills; audits; names CN, VN, IN, KH, BD, GT; legal wages only; Oritain cotton tests
Company details
- Owned by
- Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
- Headquarters
- United States
- Employees
- About 43,200
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Abercrombie & Fitch ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/abercrombie-fitch, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
Better-graded basics
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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Abercrombie & Fitch.