Fashion Nova accused of using underpaid workers

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Dec 23, 2019

Fashion Nova is caught up in yet another scandal, this time being accused of taking advantage of underpaid factory workers. 

The charge comes from a New York Times report, which said that many Fashion Nova garments were found to be made by a U.S.-based work force, located in Los Angeles, who were paid illegally low wages.

The report claimed that the accusation is supported by investigations conducted from 2016 through this year by the United States Labor Department, which found Fashion Nova clothing being made in factories that owed $3.8 million in back wages to workers. In addition, the report said that some factory workers were paid as little as $2.77 an hour.

The report continued, stating that Los Angeles is home to many factories that pay workers—including workers who are undocumented—as little as possible in order to compete with even cheaper facilities located overseas.

Fashion Nova didn’t stay silent on the matter: on December 16, the company publicly replied to the article posted on the NYT Business Twitter account denying the accusation. 

“Any suggestion that Fashion Nova is responsible for underpaying anyone working on our brand is categorically false,” the company tweeted.

“Furthermore, we have written agreements with all of our more than 700 vendors in which they commit to pay their employees and sub-contractors in strict alignment with California law. Any vendor found to not be in compliance is immediately put on a six-month probationary period. A second violation results in a suspension of all agreements with that vendor."

These allegations mark the latest legal dispute aimed at Fashion Nova, coming after Versace sued the company for allegedly copying several of its designs earlier this month.