Our Problem with Altar’d State

You may be wondering, “What’s wrong with altar’d state” “Isn’t it a business we should love since it’s ethical?” While it does claim to be ethical, we aren’t so sure it is. Sure they have super cute clothes and always advertise how they donate money to help people in other countries, but have you ever thought about how their clothes are made? Altar’d State’s clothing is not produced in factories but instead by vendors. They claim that these vendors have agreed that they will treat their employees fairly and follow Altar’d States guidelines. That is where most people go, “Ok they seem pretty legit. I trust them.” We thought the same exact thing. Until we actually asked. Over the summer, Natalie went to the chat section on the website and decided to ask. The result shocked us. They told her that no one has actually ever visited these vendors. Which is horrible. They’re claiming that their products are ethical, but for all they know their products could be made the same way fast fashion companies make theirs. They told her that they company wasn’t big enough to be able to go and see these vendors. Which mades no sense. Natalie and I recently visited Nepal. I think if we could fly halfway around the world, then they for sure can, especially because they have their company on the line. Also they say they can’t go visit their vendors, but somehow they’ve managed to open 59 stores in 19 states. Excuses, Excuses… Unfortunately Natalie did not screen shot it, so we went back last weekend and asked again. And 3 months later, they told us the exact same thing. While we think Altar’d State has some of the cutest clothes ever and really great sales, they may not be at all what we all thought they were. And that is why, we cannot feature them on our website. Here’s our convo…