Urban Outfitters
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 5 sources
Philadelphia retailer of youth clothing and homewares.
Urban Outfitters can't show that the workers who make its products in Vietnam and India earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Urban Outfitters? Send a right of reply.
Compare Urban Outfitters with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (unpaid or underpaid wages, last recorded in 2012) 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 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in China, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
- 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: A confirmed problem with pay, rights or safety not shown to be put right
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
These are its parent group's countries across all its brands; Urban Outfitters doesn't say where its own products are made. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| BangladeshUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Cambodia | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Türkiye | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Pakistan | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
| Egypt | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Sri Lanka | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Philippines | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| United States | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- 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.
- 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 Urban Outfitters' own-brand clothing is made by independent suppliers, and much of what it sells is other companies' brands. URBN names India, Vietnam, China, Turkey, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, the US, Pakistan, Egypt and Sri Lanka among its key sourcing countries but gives no shares and publishes no factory list, so no country shares are shown. URBN reviews annual third-party social audits for vendors making over 85% of own-brand volume and bans Xinjiang sourcing, but reports no audit findings, no wage data and no living wage commitment. URBN is not an Accord signatory.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | URBN scored 32.5 out of 250 (13%) in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, down from 50.5 in 2020. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | URBN's modern slavery statement (May 2026, FY2026) names some key sourcing countries and says audited vendors make over 85% of own-brand volume, but gives no shares, factory list or wage data. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | URBN profile records two response requests (Xinjiang forced labour commitments; Mauritius factory layoffs) with a 0% response rate. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Garments from China, India and Vietnam, all key URBN sourcing countries, are on the US Department of Labor list of goods made with child or forced labour. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | US Department of Labor found minimum wage and overtime violations at a Los Angeles contractor making Urban Outfitters tops in 2012. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | A 2012 US Department of Labor sweep of Los Angeles garment contractors found workers sewing tops for Urban Outfitters' Daydreamer label were paid under $6.50 an hour, below minimum wage, with no overtime and falsified time cards (Philadelphia Inquirer, 2012). Source · search the archive | Not knownThe Labor Department recovered $326,200 in back wages from the contractors; Urban Outfitters did not respond and reported no action of its own. |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- In March 2025 about 240 workers at a Star Knitwear Group garment factory in Mauritius linked to URBN were laid off without warning amid worries over severance pay; URBN did not respond to a request for comment (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2025). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Urban Outfitters - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · search the archive · FTI scores 2019-2023 (32.5/250 in 2023); two response requests, 0% response rate; no evidence of living wages
- URBN's non-response to layoffs at Star Knitwear Group factory (BHRRC) · search the archive · March 2025: URBN did not respond about sudden layoffs of about 240 workers in Mauritius
- Labor violations found at Urban Outfitters suppliers (Philadelphia Inquirer) · search the archive · 2012 DOL sweep: Daydreamer tops for Urban Outfitters made below minimum wage; $326,200 back wages; company did not respond
Published by Urban Outfitters or its owner
- URBN Modern Slavery Statement FY2026 (May 2026) · search the archive · Some key sourcing countries named without shares; audits of 200+ vendors covering 85%+ of own-brand volume; Xinjiang ban; no living wage
- 2025 URBN Impact Scorecard · search the archive · 60% of direct-sourced cotton responsibly sourced (organic, recycled, US or Better Cotton credits); no leather data
Company details
- Owned by
- URBN (Urban Outfitters, Inc.), owner of Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People and Nuuly
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Urban Outfitters ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/urban-outfitters, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded basics
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Urban Outfitters.