Reformation is one of the most well-known brands in sustainable fashion. Celebrities wear it, influencers talk about it, & people often say it’s better than fast fashion. And honestly, in a lot of ways, that’s true.
But now that we’re in 2026 & people are talking more about sustainability, it’s not enough to just ask, “Is this brand better than Shein?” (because truthfully, most brands are).
The real question is: Does it actually match up with what we know now about materials, pollution, & long-term effects?
I’ve spent 12 years covering sustainable fashion, and personally, I would purchase from Reformation, but I would avoid certain pieces.
Reformation does many things right.
But they also use some fabrics that I don’t really see as truly sustainable anymore.
So let’s take an honest look at what they’re actually doing.
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What Reformation Gets Right
There’s a reason everyone talks about Reformation when it comes to sustainable fashion.
1. Transparency & Reporting
Reformation puts out super detailed sustainability reports. They keep track of things like:
- Water use
- Carbon emissions
- Waste
- Factory standards
- Material sourcing
Their RefScale system lets you see the environmental impact of each piece of clothing, something most brands don’t do.
Being this open really matters.
2. Responsible Manufacturing
Reformation makes many of its clothes in its own factories in LA & Mexico. This gives them:
- More control over labor conditions
- Better oversight on waste and energy use
- Faster production cycles, reducing overproduction
They also say they pay fair wages and maintain good workplace standards, which already puts them way ahead of most fast-fashion brands.
Note: Reformation also produces in China, but ensure they uphold high standards of sustainability and ethics.
3. Use of Natural & Lower-Impact Materials
One thing Reformation does deserve credit for is offering a wide range of natural fabrics, especially compared to most trend-driven brands.
Across many collections, Reformation uses materials such as:
- Linen, which is low-water, breathable, and biodegradable
- Organic cotton, grown without toxic pesticides or synthetic fertilizers
- TENCEL™ Lyocell, a semi-synthetic fiber made from wood pulp using a closed-loop process
- Responsible wool, which can be long-lasting and biodegradable when cared for properly (they even have regenerative!)
When Reformation leans into these materials, the garments align much more closely with what we now understand as genuinely lower-impact fashion. Linen dresses, organic cotton tops, and TENCEL™ basics are often some of the brand’s best pieces.
4. Circularity & Deadstock Use
Reformation also uses things like:
- Deadstock fabrics
- Repurposed vintage textiles
- Fabric remnants that would otherwise go to landfill
- Recycling program for their old clothing
This helps reduce the need for brand-new materials and prevents good fabric from being wasted.
From a waste standpoint, that’s a big deal. Unfortunately, many of these fabrics are polyester.
Where Reformation Falls Short: Synthetic Fabric Dependency
But here’s where things get tricky.
Reformation’s biggest weak spot for sustainability is the materials they use.
Even though they have a green reputation, a big chunk of Reformation clothes are made from:
- Polyester
- Recycled polyester
- Nylon
- Elastane blends (hard to avoid in general)
- Viscose and rayon (often chemically intensive)
These are used in everything from dresses to activewear to tops.
While I am glad they stick to primarily deadstock fabrics when using synthetics, I don’t think wearing them is great for your health & would not recommend picking pieces you would wear often. Also, everytime you wash synthetic clothing, hundreds of thousands of microplastics are pushed into our waterways.
Items of clothing I don’t think are terrible to purchase from these collections would be evening dresses, jackets or other clothing articles you wear & wash seldomly. However, I would gravitate towards the natural fabrics or even semi-synthetics like rayon.
Why Synthetics Are a Sustainability Problem
Even if they’re made from recycled plastic bottles, synthetic fabrics still:
- Shed microplastics every time they’re washed
- Never fully biodegrades
- Contribute to ocean and drinking water contamination
- Are made from fossil fuels (petroleum)
Recent studies show that recycled polyester can actually shed even more microplastics than regular polyester, since the fibers aren’t as strong.
So while recycled polyester sounds like a win, it often results in more pollution later.
That’s why, by 2026, some sustainability experts don’t see recycled polyester as a real solution, it’s just a slower version of the same problem.
The Greenwashing Gray Area
Reformation isn’t lying, but they are putting things in the best possible light.
When a dress is labeled “sustainable” because it uses recycled or deadstock polyester, that ignores the:
- Microplastic pollution
- End-of-life waste
- Chemical processing
- Non-biodegradability
I wouldn’t say Reformation is greenwashing, but I do think the conversation around textiles are evolving.
Is Reformation Fast Fashion? No.
Is It Slow Fashion? Also No.
I feel Reformation is closer to slow fashion than fast fashion, but they still:
- Drop new styles constantly
- Follow trends closely
- Encourage frequent purchasing
That doesn’t mean their clothes are throwaway, but they do need to sell a lot to keep growing.
Sustainability gets complicated if a brand’s growth depends on selling more stuff, even if it’s a little better than what Zara makes. It doesn’t help how viral they have become on social media. I’m sure it makes sustaining a brand tricky. You want to please all these potential customers, but at what cost?
How to Shop Reformation More Sustainably
If you love Reformation’s style (and I get it – it’s super cute), here’s how to shop smarter:
Choose These Fabrics:
- Linen
- TENCEL™ Lyocell
- Organic cotton
- Wool / Cashmere
Skip These When Possible:
- Deadstock polyester
- Semi-synthetics like rayon (viscose)
Think of Reformation as a natural-fiber brand hiding inside a synthetic one; you just have to be a little picky.
In Conclusion…
Reformation helped make sustainability mainstream, and that’s worth giving them credit for.
But by 2026, the conversation has moved forward.
It’s not enough to just be “better than fast fashion” anymore.
Now we have to ask what our clothes are made of, how they break down, & what they leave behind.
And plastic, no matter how “green” it sounds, is still plastic.
But if you are able to avoid purchasing synthetic fabrics from Reformation, I think it’s a good sustainable choice. & of course, we should limit how much we buy. I’m all for treating yourself, but we don’t need to purchase something from every line they drop 🙂
