Armedangels

PRODUCTION LOCATIONS 

• Portugal 
• Tunisia 
• Romania 
• Turkey 
• Germany 
• India (for cotton cultivation)

WORKING CONDITIONS & WAGES 

To ensure fairer working conditions, ARMEDANGELS states that it aligns with the Common Framework for Responsible Purchasing Practices (CRFPP) and has implemented a comprehensive Human Rights & Environmental Due Diligence (HR+EDD) process, including country-level risk assessments and individual action plans for partner facilities. 

Additionally, the True Costing Methodology and Fair Price App are used to incorporate all relevant production costs, including wages, into pricing. 

The company works exclusively with external factories. ARMEDANGELS prioritises long-term partnerships: 82% of purchasing volume comes from factories with which the brand has collaborated for more than five years. Communication with partners is close. Suppliers are visited regularly, both by audit teams and by staff members. 

The Living Wage Project with Turkish partner factory Mergü has been running since spring 2022 in collaboration with three like-minded brands. ARMEDANGELS pays its share of a defined target wage as a seasonal bonus, passed directly on to workers. The focus is not only on fairer pay but also on gender equity: the company aims to take targeted measures to support women, for example through training, better representation in works councils, and fair promotion opportunities. In 2025, ARMEDANGELS organised an internal Responsible Purchasing Practices Workshop, where senior managers and directors from across the company worked together to understand how their everyday decisions directly affect working conditions in the supply chain. 

ARMEDANGELS has been a member of the Fair Wear Foundation since 2015.

Through TextileGenesis, the brand is working towards digitally traceable supply chains, for example for organic wool and Lenzing fibres. This is complemented by its own initiatives such as the Armedangels Organic Farmers Association, which supported 500 small-scale Indian farmers in transitioning to organic cotton. The team is made up of staff from 28 nations.

Topics such as equality and anti-discrimination are embedded in the due diligence policies. A May 2026 investigation by Der Spiegel reported high levels of work pressure and a dismissive management culture, raising questions about the internal implementation of the company’s stated values. Read more about the scandal.

MATERIALS 

Plant-based fibres: 80.1% of the material base

• Organic cotton (59.57%)
• Recycled cotton (GRS-certified) (19.74%)
• Linen (from Europe, European Flax Standard)
• Recycled linen (GRS-certified)
• Hemp (from European cultivation)

Animal fibres

• Organic wool (partly RWS certified)
• Recycled wool (partly GRS-certified)
• Alpaca (RAS-certified)
• Recycled cashmere

Cellulose fibres

• TENCEL Lyocell
• LENZING ECOVERO
• TENCEL Modal
• TENCEL Lyocell x REFIBRA

Next-generation materials (1.26% of the material base)

• SaXcell Lyocell (30% recycled cotton + 70% FSC-certified pulp)
• NAIA RENEW (cellulose acetate from recycled plastic)
• RCO100 (100% mechanically recycled cotton fabric)
• TENCEL REFIBRA

Polymers: 2.83% of the material base

• Recycled polyester
• Recycled polyamide (mainly from industrial waste)

PACKAGING 

• For e‑commerce, the brand uses plastic-free packaging, such as paper or cardboard mailing bags. According to the brand, these are made from recycled material or are recyclable. 
• However, the brand does not make information about packaging within the supply chain publicly available.

WATER USE & CHEMICALS 

For cotton, the brand uses exclusively organic quality, which requires less water and meets stricter environmental standards for chemicals. 

ARMEDANGELS uses recycled materials such as GRS-certified cotton and wool. 

For denim, ARMEDANGELS has developed what it calls DetoxDenim, produced without toxic chemicals. In 2025, the recycled content in DetoxDenim increased from 50.58% to 59.53%, reducing the carbon footprint of the category by 4.8% compared to 2024. According to ARMEDANGELS, DetoxDenim now has the lowest carbon footprint per kilogram of product across all categories. 

SaXcell, a next-generation material that ARMEDANGELS was the first brand in the world to use, has also been integrated into the denim line. 

In 2025, ARMEDANGELS became a ZDHC Signatory Friend (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals). This programme complements existing certifications by ensuring chemical safety standards in areas where other certifications do not apply due to material blends, covering, according to the company, 100% of the product range. 

On the topic of microplastics, ARMEDANGELS does not specify any concrete measures, but states that synthetic fibres represent only a very small share of its range.

CIRCULAR PRODUCT DESIGN 

In 2025, ARMEDANGELS developed and launched its Design Principles for Circularity, a comprehensive framework that fundamentally changes how every garment is conceived, designed and produced. The four principles were externally reviewed by circular.fashion and rolled out across the entire team: more than 100 employees from design, product management, purchasing, quality and marketing were trained. 58% of the Spring/​Summer/​Autumn 2026 collection was already designed according to these principles. 

ARMEDANGELS uses mono-materials in many products to improve recyclability. Mixed materials do still occur, for example in recycled fibres or functional textiles, which can limit circularity. As a concrete example of circular design, ARMEDANGELS launched a seamless underwear line in 2025 using 3D knitting technology: each piece is knitted directly to shape rather than cut from flat fabric. As a result, production waste fell from 11.47% to 0% for shorts, and from 26% to 10.42% for bras. 

The brand uses recycled cotton or wool with GRS certification, as well as material offcuts from its own production. Through a collaboration with Valérius 360, a mechanical recycling process is used for end-of-life textiles. 

ARMEDANGELS has an active take-back programme: a resell platform fully integrated into the webshop, as well as a repair service through partner MENDED. The brand also provides DIY guides for carrying out minor repairs at home.

CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODEL 

ARMEDANGELS offers a repair service in partnership with MENDED. Customers can send in damaged clothing, which is repaired using original spare parts. In 2025, more than 2,596 ARMEDANGELS products were repaired. ARMEDANGELS also hosted in-store repair events in Cologne. 

Selected ARMEDANGELS products can be rented through Kleiderei.

The resell platform, operated in collaboration with Trove (formerly reverse.supply), is fully integrated into the webshop: customers can return worn clothing, which is then sorted, photographed and listed directly alongside new products.

SUPPLY CHAIN DISTANCE & COMPLEXITY 

• Portugal 
• Turkey 
• Tunisia 
• Romania 
• Germany 
• India
• The ARMEDANGELS headquarters is located in Cologne, Germany. 

ARMEDANGELS’ supply chain is comparatively complex. In 2025, ARMEDANGELS achieved supply chain transparency of 33% up to Tier 4 (raw material production), with the goal of reaching 80% by 2027.

TRANSPORT 

Modes of transport within the supply chain are not disclosed.

• Organic wool 
• Recycled wool 
• Alpaca wool 
• Recycled cashmere

All wool suppliers are either RWS- or GRS-certified. Alpaca suppliers are RAS-certified.

PETA-certified products are also part of the range, particularly in the cotton segment. ARMEDANGELS states that it maintains strict ecological and social standards for animal-derived materials. A clear code on animal welfare is not published.

PRODUCT DESIGN 

ARMEDANGELS offers clothing for women and men. The style is minimalist, timeless and often inspired by everyday urban life, with a focus on modern basics.

SLOW FASHION PROCESSES 

ARMEDANGELS produced a total of 2,593,779 pieces in 2025. The brand releases four collections per year, for both women and men. ARMEDANGELS works with clear production cycles.

The brand holds sales.

PRODUCT TRANSPARENCY 

Since spring 2025, every product has a Digital Product Passport (DPP) with a QR code providing information on material composition, certifications, manufacturer, material suppliers, country of production, care instructions, recycled content and recyclability. 
(Note: The EU requirement for DPPs is currently expected to come into force in mid-2027. ARMEDANGELS has introduced it voluntarily two years ahead of schedule.)

PROCESS TRANSPARENCY 

ARMEDANGELS offers extensive insight into its supply chain and ways of working. On its website and in its annual Impact Report, the brand publishes a wide range of information on social and environmental measures. 
ARMEDANGELS also shares information about its True Costing Methodology, which makes pricing transparent, including labour costs. 
In 2025, supply chain transparency up to Tier 4 (raw material production) stood at 33%, with the goal of increasing this to 80% by 2027. Information is accessible both at a general and product-specific level, and the regularly published Impact Report documents progress and challenges on an annual basis. 

Nevertheless, the brand has been under critical scrutiny since May 2026: an investigation by Der Spiegel reported high levels of work pressure and a dismissive management culture within the company, raising questions about the internal implementation of its stated values. The standards of fairness, dignity and respect that ARMEDANGELS communicates externally are said to apply throughout the entire supply chain. The extent to which they are also lived internally remains open following this report. Read more about the scandal here.