Is Madewell sustainable? We checked 456 products.

On fabric composition — the one factor we can measure — Madewell averages 86.9% natural fibre across 456 products, ranking #5 of 55 brands we track. That's among the better scores. Fabric data can't speak to labor practices, emissions, or water use, so treat this as one input, not a verdict.

We measure fabric, not business models — so we can't classify Madewell as fast fashion or not. What the data shows: 3.7% of their products are polyester-heavy and 67.5% are nearly all-natural (95%+ natural fibre). Heavy synthetic reliance often correlates with fast-fashion production, but it isn't proof either way.

Fabric composition is a reasonable quality proxy: natural fibres generally breathe better, last longer, and shed fewer microplastics. Madewell averages 86.9% natural fibre, which is better than most brands we track. Individual items vary widely, so check the composition label on each piece.

That depends on what you're buying. 67.5% of Madewell's catalog is nearly all-natural, so good pieces exist even beyond their solid average. Use the Fibr extension to check fabric composition on individual items while you shop — it varies more within a brand than between brands.

8.1% of Madewell products are majority synthetic (less than 50% natural fibre by weighted content). The catalog as a whole averages 86.9% natural fibre, so it leans natural.

Yes — average natural fibre content has gone up from 84.7% (May 2026) to 86.9% today, based on our point-in-time snapshots of their catalog.