Fashion Nova Factory Faces Covid-19 Outbreak

The Instagram famous brand reported 203 cases in its Los Angeles distribution centre over the past two weeks, making it the third largest ongoing outbreak in the county, according to The Daily Beast. Los Angeles has grown into a Covid hotspot in recent months, with the city nearing 1 million cases and officials bracing for another surge.

A representative for Fashion Nova stated that the site has had a total of 233 cases out of roughly 10,000 employees and contractors since October 18, 2020, stating that the company is “dedicated to the health, safety and welfare of its employees and takes significant steps to protect them from the Covid-19 virus.”

It isn’t the first time the brand’s Los Angeles operations have come under scrutiny. A 2019 federal Labor Department investigation found exploitative labour practises and unpaid wages that amounted to $3.8 million in back pay to workers according to The New York Times.

Brands and retailers have come under fire during the pandemic for order cancellations and health and safety violations across their supply chains. And while these practises have typically gone unnoticed by the public, in the past few years companies have faced increasing fallout from retailers and consumers by failing to create safe labour conditions.

Fellow fast-fashion brand Boohoo also faced allegations of unsafe labour practises in July of last year, causing retailers including Amazon and Asos to stop selling the brand’s products on their platforms.

Editor’s Note: This article was revised on January 14 2020 to include a comment from a Fashion Nova representative.