Forever 21
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Los Angeles-founded fast-fashion label selling low-priced clothing.
Forever 21 scored 2/100 in the 2024 Ethical Fashion Report, and we couldn't confirm where it makes most of its low-cost fast-fashion clothing.
Also worth knowing
Most clothes and shoes are made in countries such as China and Bangladesh, where pay is usually below a living wage and unions are heavily restricted.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Forever 21? Send a right of reply.
Compare Forever 21 with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, a hidden, unaudited supply chain, probably in high-risk countries, a failing or very low rating (Ethical Fashion Report 2/100 in 2024) and a problem with pay, rights or safety with no fix shown. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (unpaid or underpaid wages, last recorded in 2016) is more than 5 years old.
- 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 rightsWhere clothes and shoes are usually made, such as China and Bangladesh, 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) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
Red flags 4
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, probably mostly in countries with poor worker rights
- Red flag: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: Ethical Fashion Report 2/100 (2024)
- Red flag: A confirmed problem with pay, rights or safety not shown to be put rightShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 3 red flags that set it.
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
We couldn't confirm where Forever 21 makes most of its products, so this shows where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 30% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | 20% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | 15% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | 10% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Cambodia | 8% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Türkiye | 7% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Indonesia | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Pakistan | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- 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 Forever 21 does not make its own clothes and buys from vendors in the US and overseas, but it does not say which countries or factories make them and publishes no supplier list. It says suppliers sign a code of conduct and that non-US factories get announced and unannounced audits. After its US operator went bankrupt and closed all US stores in 2025, owner Authentic Brands Group licensed the brand to new partners for US online sales and wholesale, and no current labour reporting has been published. It has no living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Problem found | Not in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report; scored 2 out of 100 in the 2024 edition, in the bottom 20% of companies assessed. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Not in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index; scored 16.5 out of 250 (about 7%) in 2020. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | The Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division found wage violations at vendors supplying Forever 21 and went to court in 2012 to enforce a subpoena for its contractor records. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Company profile lists Fashion Transparency Index scores for 2019 and 2020 and no open response requests. View |
Confirmed issues 1
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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | US Labor Department investigations found minimum wage and overtime violations at Los Angeles contractors making Forever 21 clothes, with some workers paid as little as $4 an hour in 2016 (US DOL 2012; LA Times 2016). Source · search the archive | Not knownForever 21 resisted a 2012 Labor Department subpoena for its contractor records; no compensation by Forever 21 for affected workers has been reported. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Forever 21 - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Forever 21 scored 2/100 in the 2024 Ethical Fashion Report
- Forever 21 - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · search the archive · FTI scores 13.5/250 (2019) and 16.5/250 (2020); no response requests
- Labor Department seeks subpoena enforcement against Forever 21 (US DOL, 2012) · search the archive · Wage violations found among Forever 21 vendors; dozens of manufacturers in sweatshop-like conditions since 2008; Forever 21 refused subpoena
- Factories that made clothes for Forever 21, Ross paid workers $4 an hour (SupplyChainBrain/LA Times, 2016) · search the archive · 2016 DOL probe of 77 LA garment firms found violations in 85%; Forever 21 supplier worker paid $4.50 an hour
- Forever 21 - Social Responsibility · search the archive · Does not manufacture its own goods; vendor code and audits of non-US factories; no countries or supplier list given
- Forever 21 plans return of stores in US (VMSD, 2025) · search the archive · All 350 US stores closed in 2025; Authentic licensed US ecommerce, wholesale and kidswear to Unique Brands, Mark Edwards Apparel and Kidz Concepts
- Forever 21 shipping to Australia (Global Shopaholics, 2025) · search the archive · Forever21.com does not ship directly to Australia; no Australian stores (forwarding-service blog)
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Forever 21 ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/forever-21, 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
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 Forever 21.