Looking for a little more information before buying that sustainable sweater from upwest.com? You’ve come to the right place! In this honest and detailed review, I will share my thoughts on their clothing, brand information/research, and my final verdict/recommendation. Keep reading for more!
Table of Contents
About UpWest
Is UpWest sustainable?
Yes, they appear to follow many sustainable practices. According to their About page, they utilize sustainable fabrics like recycled polyester, organic cotton, and recycled nylon. The company embraces digital technology with paperless receipts, uses recycled poly bags for online shipping, and covers the shipping cost for customers donating clothes. They support upcycling by turning old clothes into soft blankets, mittens, and cozy dog outfits.
Here is a list of sustainability-related organizations/certifications they claim to be partnered with and/or have. For the ones I can confirm, I have linked to evidence.
Check out this article, 13 Easy Ways To Know If A Brand Is Fast Fashion by Panaprium, for tell-tale signs of a fast fashion company.
Where is UpWest’s clothing made?
My items were made in China, Vietnam, and India.
Where is UpWest located?
According to marketing emails, they are located in the United States. Their business address is P.O. Box 182258, Columbus, Ohio 43230.
Additionally, they have store locations in Chicago, Newport Beach, Dallas, Long Island, Minneapolis, San Jose, Georgetown, Boston, New York, Tysons, Boulder, and Seattle.
More Shop Details
Business Details
- UpWest is a sister company to Express and Bonobos.
- According to their Terms of Service page, their legal business name is UW, LLC.
Statements & Press Details
- Through The UpWest Foundation, they budget 1% of annual sales to support those in need globally.
- They are partnered with the following charities:
- Mental Health America
- Random Acts
- Freedom Service Dogs
- According to their Sourcing & Labor Standards page, they adhere to strict sourcing standards globally, requiring suppliers to follow their Supplier Code of Conduct and all applicable laws. They employ third-party auditors to ensure manufacturing partners comply with this code through unannounced audits. Fifteen focus areas, including transparency, management systems, labor practices, and environment, are evaluated to ensure safe, ethical working conditions in their supply chain. Their approach includes proactive measures against forced labor, child labor, and unethical practices such as sandblasting and the use of conflict minerals.
Policy & Program Details
- Shipping:
- They offer free shipping over $75.
- Returns:
- They allow returns within 60 days of purchase.
- U.S. returns are free.
- Non-returnable items include any product containing CBD, any personal care or beauty products where the seal has been opened, any sale items marked FINAL SALE, items with “Do Not Remove” tags removed, and (some) items with lithium-ion batteries.
Product Details
- They carry standard sizes from XXS to XL.
- They sell/list their products on Amazon. Check out UpWest’s Amazon Storefront!
Domain Details
- The website upwest.com was registered in March 2002.
UpWest Review and Order Details
I ordered the below items on 10/23/2023 to my address in North Carolina (United States). I paid a total of $253.54 – View Order Confirmation
1) Comfy Crew-Neck Pocket Sweater
Brand Label: UpWest
Color/Size/Cost: Calcite / M / $54.50
Country: Made in China
Material: 55% Recycled Polyester / 43% Acrylic / 2% Spandex
Expectation: It is exactly what I was expecting in terms of overall appearance.
Quality: In my opinion, the quality is decent. See my Quality Comparison & Rating Chart to know my current quality-rating standards.
Fit: I ordered based on the size guide provided, and it fits well. View my Body Measurements for size reference.
Keep or Return: I would keep this UpWest sweater, but I would need to exchange it for a fresh one.
While I love the color, the semi-soft feel of the stretchy material, and the fit, I found a snag on the outside that is irreparable.
2) Vintage Boyfriend Denim
Brand Label: UpWest
Color/Size/Cost: Light Denim / 8 / $98
Country: Made in Vietnam
Material: 82% Cotton / 17% Recycled Polyester / 1% Lycra
Expectation: They are what I was expecting, for the most part, in terms of overall appearance. The color is a bit darker in person.
Quality: In my opinion, the quality of the materials overall is decent, however, it is poorly constructed. The entire thing is terribly crooked, from the zip fly being off-center to the back seam and pockets being extremely ill-placed. See my Quality Comparison & Rating Chart to know my current quality-rating standards.
Fit: I ordered based on the size guide provided, and they fit on the looser side (this is my preference, but I could size down for a more fitted look). View my Body Measurements for size reference.
Keep or Return: I would return these UpWest jeans.
The entire thing is not sewn symmetrically… nothing about these jeans is centered. As you can see from the images above, everything is shifted a bit over to the right. The back pockets are also sewn at slightly different heights. The jeans (without looking closely) are decent quality, but as soon as you put them on, they do not sit on the body right. I am highly disappointed by this and expect WAY BETTER.
3) Cozy Crew-Neck Sweater Dress
Brand Label: UpWest
Color/Size/Cost: Autumn Blush / M / $61.60
Country: Made in China
Material: 55% Cotton / 21% Nylon / 19% Acrylic / 4% Wool / 1% Spandex
Expectation: It is exactly what I was expecting in terms of overall appearance.
Quality: In my opinion, the quality is good. See my Quality Comparison & Rating Chart to know my current quality-rating standards.
Fit: I ordered based on the size guide provided, and it fits well. View my Body Measurements for size reference.
Keep or Return: I would return this UpWest dress.
I mistakenly bought this (I do not wear or review anything with animal materials), so this is an instant return. Putting that fact aside, the quality feels good, the material is somewhat soft and very stretchy, and it fits well. I found an irreparable snag on this one too, unfortunately. So it would need to be exchanged if I wanted to keep it.
4) Anytime Oversized V-Neck Tee
Brand Label: UpWest
Color/Size/Cost: Purple Ash / M / $22.40
Country: Made in India
Material: 100% Organic Cotton
Expectation: It is exactly what I was expecting in terms of overall appearance.
Quality: In my opinion, the quality is okay. See my Quality Comparison & Rating Chart to know my current quality-rating standards.
Fit: I ordered based on the size guide provided, and it fits on the big side (I like to knot oversized shirts, so this is a good fit for me). View my Body Measurements for size reference.
Keep or Return: I would keep this UpWest shirt.
It’s just a simple tee, nothing special about it other than the fact that it is made from organic cotton. I like the oversized fit, and it is very lightweight. The quality is just okay – I would not be surprised if this came out a bit warped from the dryer. I wouldn’t care about this though since I like to tie knots in bigger shirts anyway.
Is UpWest Worth It?
I think they are *sort of* worth it.
It is important to note that I am VERY disappointed in the denim I ordered. It is easily one of the most horribly-constructed pairs of jeans I have ever tried on. Though the material itself is fine, I have never put on a more crooked pair of jeans in my life. Also, both of the chunkier-knit pieces (the sweater and sweater dress) came with small snags that are not easily fixed. Once snags like that happen, they quickly become big snags without close attention and delicate care.
With that being said, if this were a random stand-alone brand with no credibility, I would probably pass on purchasing again. However, since they are a sister company to Express, are fairly sustainable, offer free U.S. returns, and are generally of decent quality, I would be willing to give this shop another try. I am hoping I was unlucky and received a bad pair of jeans and the sweater/sweater dress came from a retail location that didn’t carefully handle the items.
Overall, I am disappointed in the clothing I received but am not convinced that this entire brand is bad. I would try this shop again as I think I would have better luck with future purchases.
If you want to give this brand a try at a lower risk and more conveniently, check out UpWest’s Amazon Storefront!
To wrap up this post, regardless of my experience, be sure to read as many customer reviews as possible. If you found this post helpful in your search for UpWest reviews, please consider sharing this with your friends and commenting (via Reddit) below.
Thank you very much for your support and readership!
Take care,
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Click the ‘View more on Reddit’ or ‘View comments’ button below to go to this review’s discussion page. I encourage you to write a comment or read others’ comments if available!
