Everything the scan holds on this record, grouped by subject. Blue bars show how much information is held; they are not positive or negative scores. Fields with nothing behind them are counted, not listed.
Features
3 of 5
Feature 1
Indigenous handcrafts its clothing using 100% natural and organic fabrics, and the brand names three fibres in particular: organic Peruvian cotton with extra long, cloud-soft and durable fibres, free-range alpaca raised by small-scale ranchers, and eco-friendly Tencel made from wood pulp in a closed loop system. Its wider natural fibre range at Indigenous also includes organic alpaca, merino wool and silk.
Feature 2
Every Indigenous piece is made by hand, with individual artisans handknitting each sweater from start to finish and specialised artisans handcrafting woven designs on old-world wooden looms. Indigenous builds its supply chain around fair trade partnerships with culturally diverse artisans, employing 1000 artisans who are paid a fair, living wage well above what they might earn working independently.
Feature 3
All of the dyes Indigenous uses are free of harmful chemicals, low impact, free of heavy metals and Azo-dioxazine compound free, making them safe for the wearer and the earth. For fully dye-free clothing, Indigenous offers its PURE collection, which takes its colours solely from the natural shades of the fibres.
Materials and composition
16 of 29
H3 Q8: Materials (adapts to brand: 100% cotton? / where is the linen from? / hemp?)
What is Indigenous made of?
Plant fibre %
31.3
Animal fibre %
51.3
Fibre Breakdown
16 (38.1%) 100% plant fibre (organic cotton, linen, hemp) | 5 (11.9%) synthetic (polyester, nylon, elastane) | 18 (42.9%) animal fibre (wool, silk, down) | 3 (7.1%) no stated composition
Fibre Breakdown (table)
FibreStyles%Measure100% plant fibre (organic cotton, linen, hemp)1638.1%Naturalsynthetic (polyester, nylon, elastane)511.9%Syntheticanimal fibre (wool, silk, down)1842.9%Animalno stated composition37.1%Unclear
Other materials: origin
Alpaca (Peru, via knitting cooperatives such as Sama Knits, which works alpaca, highland wool and Pima); silk and other natural fibres
Products with a fibre list
4
Products with no fibre list
38
Incomplete composition explanation
No incomplete percentage compositions were recorded.
Plant fibre percent
39.5
Key facts plant materials
Cotton
Key facts animal materials
Wool, Alpaca
Key facts chemical materials
None
Key facts organic materials
Organic Cotton
Key facts synthetic materials
Spandex, Elastane
Materials used
Cotton, Wool
Scan result
17 of 55
Scan note (above product table)
NOT ASSESSED from saved CSV: 38 of 43 in-scope rows classified (88.4% coverage); possible fully plant-SKU range 34.9-46.5% can change the score band. No score is published.
Score (1-5)
1
Score label
Low verified plant evidence
Total styles scanned
48
Last scanned
2026-08-04
Score CSS class
htt-score-2
Supply-chain summary
Indigenous (Indigenous Designs) is a pioneer organic and fair-trade brand (since 1994) and an original founding B Corp (certification since lapsed) whose Fair Trace Tool lets shoppers scan a QR code to meet the specific Peruvian artisan who made the garment and see the location, techniques and social impact. Indigenous sources organic extra-long-staple Pima cotton from small family farms in Northern and Southern Peru (Chincha and Lambayeque valleys), plus organic alpaca and highland wool, and works with 1,500+ artisan knitters through named women-led cooperatives such as Sama Knits and Kero Designs on a WFTO-based fair-trade model. Its main gap is the absence of a single consolidated supplier list and unnamed spinning and dye facilities, but per-garment farm-to-artisan traceability makes Indigenous one of the most transparent brands in this set.
Sourcing transparency score (1-5)
5
Full catalogue scan?
no
Publication status
not_assessed
Method version
Throne Standard direct CSV recalculation 2026.09
Worst-case complete result (%)
34.9
Best-case complete result (%)
46.5
Sustainability score
1
Key findings
Materials: Cotton, Wool
Made in: Indigenous garments are made in Peru, hand-knitted and hand-loomed by artisan cooperatives in the Andes (the brand cites working with hundreds of knitting/hand-looming artisan groups across South America)
Certifications: Indigenous is documented as a founding B Corporation, described by multiple sources as one of the first cohort of Certified B Corps and certified since May 2007, and as a participant in Fair Trade USA's first apparel certification pilot announced in 2010
Score status
verified
SKU scan date
2026-07-14
Health and safety
1 of 3
H3 Q6: Is [Brand] non-toxic / PFAS-free?
Is Indigenous non-toxic and safe for skin?
Certification
6 of 9
H3 Q7: Is [Brand] GOTS / certified?
Is Indigenous certified?
OEKO-TEX® Standard 100
Indigenous is not OEKO-TEX certified as a company, but uses dyes approved to the OEKO-TEX 100 standard.
Other Certifications
Indigenous was one of the original founding B Corporations and was recognised by B Lab as Best For The World, but it is no longer listed in the official B Corp directory (checked 14 August 2026), so it is not currently a certified B Corp. Its fair trade model is based on the standards of the World Fair Trade Organization rather than Fairtrade International certification.
Cotton: type / certification
Organic Extra-Long-Staple Pima cotton
Factory certifications
Former founding B Corp, no longer listed in the official B Corp directory as of 14 August 2026; fair-trade model built on World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) standards, not Fairtrade International; partners described as fair-trade certified; independent worker surveys every six months
Key facts certifications
Indigenous is documented as a founding B Corporation, described by multiple sources as one of the first cohort of Certified B Corps and certified since May 2007, and as a participant in Fair Trade USA's first apparel certification pilot announced in 2010. A GreenMoney Journal profile states it uses GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) processing and Oeko-Tex 100 approved dyes with organic-certified cotton.
Sourcing and supply chain
19 of 63
PFAS source
Overall: where this info comes from
Traceability level
Cotton: country of origin
Wool: origin + farm + mulesing status
Ownership and legal entity
2 of 17
Owner
Scott Leonard is the owner of Indigenous.
Identity
19 of 28
Brand name
Indigenous
H3 Q1: Is [Brand] sustainable / ethical?
Is Indigenous sustainable and ethical?
Answer 1
Documented facts: Indigenous was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Santa Rosa, CA; it is a founding B Corp (widely reported as certified May 2007) and participated in Fair Trade USA's first apparel pilot (2010, confirmed by a Fair Trade USA/PRNewswire release); GreenMoney Journal documents GOTS processing and Oeko-Tex 100 approved dyes; garments are Peruvian artisan-made in natural/organic f
H3 Q2: Where is [Brand] made?
Where is Indigenous made?
Answer 2
Indigenous garments are made in Peru, hand-knitted and hand-loomed by artisan cooperatives in the Andes (the brand cites working with hundreds of knitting/hand-looming artisan groups across South America). A 2010-era GreenMoney Journal profile additionally lists production partners in Guatemala and India. (Sources: indigenous.com/pages/our-values; GreenMoney Journal; Fair Trade USA/PRNewswire 2010.)
H3 Q3: Who owns [Brand]?
Who owns Indigenous?
Answer 3
Indigenous (legal name Indigenous Designs Corporation, trading as "Indigenous" at indigenous.com) is an independent US company founded in 1994 by Scott Leonard and Matt Reynolds, with Joe Flood also named as a co-founder in some accounts; the idea followed Scott Leonard's travels in Ecuador/the Andes. It is headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, and has no parent company on record; Matt Reynolds is listed as President on its Better Business Bureau profile. (Sources: GreenMoney Journal; Fair Trade USA/PRNewswire 2010; BBB; Utne.)
H3 Q4: Is [Brand] legit / worth it?
Is Indigenous legit and worth it?
Answer 4
Indigenous is a real, long-established clothing brand and a still-registered business, but it appears to be wound down to a near-dormant state rather than actively selling. Its website (indigenous.com) is live with a 2026 copyright and a functioning cart, its BBB profile lists it as in business (President Matt Reynolds, 1 employee), and an Instagram reel references a pop-up ending February 2026; however, the online store's collection pages ("best-sellers," "womens," "all") currently return "no products match your filter selections" (empty inventory), and a Yelp listing marks the Santa Rosa physical location as CLOSED. No bankruptcy or formal closure notice was found. Verdict: a genuine, legitimate business that is currently minimally active with an effectively empty storefront, not a scam and not confirmed defunct. (Sources: indigenous.com; BBB; Yelp listing title; Instagram.)
H3 Q5: Is [Brand] fast fashion?
Is Indigenous fast fashion?
Answer 5
Indigenous is not fast fashion; it is a slow, small-batch, artisan/cottage-industry brand. Since 1994 it has produced hand-knitted and hand-loomed garments made to order through artisan cooperatives in natural and organic fibres (organic cotton, organic alpaca, merino wool, silk), a model that is the opposite of high-volume fast-fashion turnover. (Sources: indigenous.com; Utne; GreenMoney Journal.)
Answer 6
Certifications: Indigenous is documented as a founding B Corporation, described by multiple sources as one of the first cohort of Certified B Corps and certified since May 2007, and as a participant in Fair Trade USA's first apparel certification pilot announced in 2010. A GreenMoney Journal profile states it uses GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) processing and Oeko-Tex 100 approved dyes with organic-certified cotton. Not verifiable: whether the B Corp certification is currently active/renewed (the B Corp directory pages were inaccessible), and no evidence of European Flax certification was found. (Sources: multiple B Corp references; Fair Trade USA/PRNewswire 2010; GreenMoney Journal.).
Answer 7
Indigenous does not publicly document a recognised textile certification such as GOTS or OEKO-TEX in the sources we checked. What we can confirm is the material itself: our scan of 49 Indigenous styles found 64.3% is 100% plant fibre, so Indigenous's natural-fibre standing rests on its composition rather than a certificate.
Methodology note (page footer)
How we scan. Every figure on this page comes from the Throne Standard scan: we read the fibre composition off each live product on the brand's own site, style by style, and count only single-fibre plant cloth (cotton, linen, hemp) as natural. Animal fibres such as wool, silk and cashmere and plastic-based synthetics such as polyester, nylon and elastane sit outside the plant-fibre figure, and regenerated fibres such as viscose, bamboo, modal and Tencel are counted as semi-synthetic. Percentages are calculated over the styles that state a composition; anything unlabelled is shown separately.
Answer 8
The most common fibres in the Indigenous styles we read were cotton and wool. That composition is the measurable fact behind what Indigenous is made of, so check the specific Indigenous label for any individual piece.
Contact Email
service@indigenous.com
Cotton: named farm / region / co-op
Small, often family-operated farms in Northern and Southern Peru; Chincha and Lambayeque valleys cited as growing regions
Dye house: name + country
Low-impact dyes, no heavy metals, azo-/dioxazine-free, with waste-water filtration; dye-house name not disclosed
Brand site readable
yes
Energy, water and land
1 of 2
Claims and evidence
8 of 17
Verified by
HTT research (brand policy pages)
Verification status
What this means
Excluded items
Why excluded
Excluded items
Place and access
1 of 1
Location
Indigenous are located in Northern California in United States.
Delivery and shipping
3 of 3
Shipping
Free shipping is offered on all Indigenous orders of $150 and above, with a flat fee of $7 on Indigenous orders under $150 shipping within the contiguous United States.
Shipping International
Indigenous ships within the contiguous United States, and orders sent to Alaska or Hawaii from Indigenous require a $15 flat fee per shipment.
Shipping Notes
Most Indigenous orders are shipped within 2 business days via UPS Ground, and 2 day shipping within the contiguous US is available from Indigenous for a flat fee of $25 regardless of order size.
Price and commerce
2 of 8
Price tier
$$
SKU count
48
Further detail
22 of 65
Excerpt
Is Indigenous a sustainable clothing brand? See the real fibre breakdown, plant, animal or synthetic, before you buy.
Country
United States
POC
Indigenous is led by Scott Leonard, its CEO and Co-Founder.
LGBT
Indigenous clothing brand ownership is not identified as LGBTQ+.
Woman Owned
Indigenous clothing brand is not a woman owned clothing brand.
GOTS
Indigenous is not GOTS certified as a company, but uses organic cotton processed to GOTS standards.
1% for the planet
Indigenous clothing brand is not a member of 1% for the Planet.
Vegan
Indigenous clothing brand is not a vegan clothing brand.
Report Post
61196
Clean & Safe: last checked
2026-07-29
Supplier disclosure
Partial
Products found
52
Last checked
2026-09-26
Products in catalogue
42
Products read
42
Catalogue read %
100
How it was read
Throne identifies the eligible textile products in Indigenous's catalogue, inspects each product for published material evidence and requires at least 20 scoreable textile SKUs before publishing a brand score. The score uses only products with enough published material information to classify. Brand non-disclosure and technical read failures are reported separately. Non-textile products are excluded rather than counted as a pass or a fail.
Possible flags
3
Website check
page identifies as Indigenous (checked 2026-08-18)
Coverage method pre dash fix
Every product listed in the brand's live catalogue is retrieved and its stated fibre composition read individually - from the product page, the store's own product data and its material labels. A fibre percentage is published only when 100% of the catalogue has been read. Items with no clothing textile (gift cards, packaging, jewellery, homeware) are excluded from the percentage rather than counted as a pass or a fail.
