AGOLDE
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Los Angeles denim brand selling jeans, denim jackets and T-shirts.
There's no proof AGOLDE pays more than the legal minimum, which in Türkiye and the United States is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and a hidden, unaudited supply chain in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in Türkiye, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not 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 or links
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton and leather) 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: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
AGOLDE says which countries it makes its products in, but doesn't name the factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Türkiye | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| United States | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Makes part of its range in its own 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.
- Uses leather in only a few products and doesn't show where it comes from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes AGOLDE says its clothing is made in Turkey and California (Los Angeles), mostly in sewing and laundry facilities owned by its parent Citizens of Humanity, with some nearby contractors; no shares by country are given. It says it does not formally audit its third-party suppliers or train staff, relying on a signed code of conduct, and publishes no supplier list, wage data or living wage commitment. Its group runs a regenerative cotton programme with named US farms, but has not reported what share of its cotton comes from them.
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Business of Fashion: Citizens of Humanity regenerative cotton · search the archive · Group makes most products in own LA and Turkey facilities; management buy-out 2017; 70% regenerative cotton target for 2024
- Ecotextile News: Fashion company backs regenerative farming (2022) · search the archive · US regenerative cotton programme supplying Citizens of Humanity, AGOLDE and Goldsign; Regenagri-certified Louisiana farm
Published by AGOLDE or its owner
- AGOLDE - California Supply Chains Act disclosure · search the archive · Made in California and Turkey in group-owned or nearby third-party facilities; no formal audits of third-party suppliers
- AGOLDE - Sustainability initiatives · search the archive · Most production in owned facilities in LA and Turkey; recycled leather patches and pieces; organic and recycled cotton in some fabrics
- Citizens of Humanity - Our Story · search the archive · Vertically integrated with own sewing and laundry facilities in Los Angeles and Turkey plus select partners
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is AGOLDE ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/agolde, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded everyday fashion
None of the everyday fashion brands we know to make jeans is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. The Social Studio, Middlemost and The Social Outfit are Good, but we don't know that they make jeans. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent AGOLDE.