I remember the first time I came across Groceries Apparel.
It was in Remake’s short film Made in America — a documentary that takes you inside Los Angeles garment factories to show the reality of who makes clothes in this country, and under what conditions. Most of the film is sobering. But then there’s a moment with Groceries Apparel co-founder Matt Boelk, standing in his downtown LA factory, that stopped me. “It’s well lit, well ventilated, and they have a nice break room,” he says. “We know each other. Big corporate companies are totally profit-driven and when they say it can’t be done responsibly, that’s a lie. It is all possible.”
Co-founder Rob Lohman, who continues to run the brand today, made a similarly bold commitment on record: “I set a path for Groceries that we either achieve a 100 percent level of nontoxic, local and ethical garments or we shut down the business. I’ll be kicking and screaming trying to make this happen.”
The model they built together was right there in front of you: a vertically integrated factory in downtown Los Angeles. Plant-based, non-toxic dyes made from avocado pits, coffee grounds, and onion skins. Organic cotton, TENCEL™, hemp. A “Zero Mile Radius” operation — design, cutting, sewing, dyeing, finishing, and shipping all under one roof. A brand sourcing over 98% of its materials from local vendors, employing 70 people at its peak, and building full-time jobs in its community. Their own words, printed plainly on their site: “Groceries Apparel would rather close their doors than compromise their values.”
The brand earned our certification. And for years, that trust felt warranted.
This spring, a reader reached out to us. They had made a large purchase from Groceries Apparel. The items were returned through proper channels. The refund never came. Support tickets went unanswered. Weeks passed.
We took that complaint seriously — and we started digging.
What we found led us to one conclusion: effective immediately, we are revoking Groceries Apparel’s Eco-Stylist certification.
Groceries Apparel Reviews: A Documented Pattern Across Multiple Platforms
When a reader complaint lands in our inbox, our first step is always to investigate before we act. So we went to Trustpilot, the Better Business Bureau, review aggregators, and consumer feedback platforms to understand whether this was an isolated incident or something more systemic.
What we found was a consistent, documented pattern across dozens of reviews and multiple platforms.
Groceries Apparel currently holds a 1.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot — rated “Poor” — across 46 reviews. Their BBB rating is an F, earned specifically for failure to respond to 9 complaints filed against the business. That last detail matters: it’s not that the BBB downgraded them for receiving complaints. It’s that Groceries Apparel didn’t respond to them.
The reviews themselves describe strikingly similar experiences: emails going unanswered for days, then weeks — with some customers reporting they reached out through multiple channels, including Instagram, and heard nothing back. Customers discovering only after the fact that sale items were ineligible for a cash refund — a policy they say was not clearly disclosed during purchasing, despite the site advertising “Easy Returns.” A broken return portal that left shoppers stranded with no path forward and no response when they asked for help. Orders taking a month to arrive, with follow-up emails largely ignored throughout.
One independent review analysis from early 2026 summarized the pattern bluntly: recurring issues with shipping delays, return processing, and slow or absent customer responses — with some customers ultimately resolving situations only by filing payment disputes with their credit card companies.
This is not the story of a brand that stumbled once. It is the story of a customer experience gap that has been accumulating, quietly, without public acknowledgment, while Groceries Apparel’s sustainability story continues to be celebrated.
What We Did — And What We Heard Back
After reviewing the pattern of complaints, we reached out to Groceries Apparel directly, in writing, with five specific questions about their return and refund process, any current operational delays, and what steps they were taking to improve the customer experience.
We gave them a clear deadline to respond. We followed up after that deadline passed.
We heard nothing.
We gave them two formal opportunities to clarify, correct the record, or tell their side of the story. A brief general statement would have been enough. The questions were not a trap — they were an invitation. And the silence is its own answer — especially from a brand with an F rating from the BBB for that exact same behavior.
A Brand Worth Rooting For — Which Makes This Harder
I want to be honest about something before I go further: I don’t think Groceries Apparel is a bad brand. I think they may be a struggling one.
Matt Boelk — the co-founder who appeared in the Remake film — has since moved on from the company. Rob Lohman, the other co-founder, continues to run the brand today. What we know is that the business has contracted meaningfully over the years: a team that once employed 70 people at a 33,000-square-foot factory in downtown LA now operates with a fraction of that headcount, out of a smaller facility in Vernon, California.
We don’t know why. We’re not going to speculate. Small independent brands face real headwinds — rising costs, shifting retail landscapes, the brutal economics of ethical manufacturing in the United States. None of that is easy, and none of it diminishes the genuine work Groceries Apparel has done on materials and manufacturing.
But here is what we do know: when a brand is stretched thin, the first thing that tends to break is customer service. And when customer service breaks — when people can’t get refunds for returned items, can’t reach anyone for help, can’t get a straight answer about their own money — that is not a minor operational hiccup. That is a values failure.
Rob Lohman said he would rather shut the business down than compromise its values. We respect that standard. We’re holding them to it.
What Our Certification Requires
At Eco-Stylist, our certification is not just a score. Scores matter, and Groceries Apparel’s sustainability work earns genuine respect on that front. But certification is something more than a number — it is a statement from us to our readers that we trust this brand, and that we feel good sending you their way.
That trust rests on three pillars:
1. The brand is not fast fashion.
2. The brand inspires us.
3. We trust the brand.
Groceries Apparel still passes the first. But the second and third are gone.
There is nothing inspiring about a brand that talks about values while leaving customers stranded on refunds and going silent when asked to account for it. And trust requires accountability — showing up when things go wrong, being reachable, and demonstrating that your stated values extend to the people paying your bills. We cannot in good conscience look a reader in the eye and say “we trust this brand” when the brand won’t respond to a straightforward editorial inquiry on behalf of an unresolved customer complaint.
Why Customer Service Is a Values Issue
When you spend money with a sustainable brand, you’re not just buying a garment — you’re placing trust in a set of values. You’re paying a premium because you believe the company behind the label actually cares. About the planet, yes. But also about the people who support them.
Right now, Groceries Apparel is failing that test.
The certification is revoked.
If You’re a Current Groceries Apparel Customer With an Issue
If you are in a similar situation — a return sent, a refund pending, support unanswered — here is the most practical path forward.
Try reaching them directly through their customer care page. If you paid by credit card and a refund for a returned item has not been processed within a reasonable timeframe, you have the right to dispute the charge with your card issuer. Document everything: your original order confirmation, return tracking, and any correspondence. That paper trail matters.
You are also welcome to reach out to us. We take reader concerns seriously and will continue to monitor this situation.
Where to Shop Instead
Groceries Apparel’s product range — soft basics, athletic essentials, everyday wear in natural materials, made in California — is genuinely distinctive. If you are looking for certified alternatives that match that profile and that we can fully stand behind right now, here are three:
1) PACT Apparel
PACT is one of the most accessible certified organic brands in the US market. GOTS-certified, Fair Trade factories, and a broad range of basics — tees, leggings, underwear, loungewear — that competes directly with Groceries Apparel’s everyday essentials at a price point most people can actually reach. Reliable, transparent, and consistently responsive to customers.
2) MATE the Label
If what you loved about Groceries Apparel was specifically the LA-made, organic basics story, MATE the Label is the most direct replacement we can offer. Also based in Los Angeles — sourcing within a 17-mile radius of their headquarters — MATE makes clean essentials: joggers, tees, tanks, sweatshirts, leggings. They use GOTS-certified organic cotton and TENCEL™, avoid synthetic chemicals and toxic dyes entirely, and hold both B Corp and Carbon Neutral certifications. The product, the ethos, and the origin story are nearly identical. With a customer experience to match.
3) ZONE by Lydia
For the activewear side of your Groceries Apparel wardrobe — the leggings, the tanks, the yoga and movement pieces — ZONE by Lydia is the standout certified alternative. Founded by Olympic gold medalist Lydia Lassila, the brand specializes in hemp-based activewear blended with organic cotton, GOTS and OEKO-TEX certified throughout. Their supply chain is fully transparent, manufacturing partners are personally vetted, and packaging is plastic-free. Performance gear with a genuine values story behind it.
What It Would Take to Earn Certification Back
We have revoked certifications before. We have also re-certified brands that did the work. This is not a permanent blacklist — it is a consequence with a clear path forward.
For Groceries Apparel to be considered for re-certification, we would need three things: a direct response to the editorial inquiry we sent, including a statement on how customer service and refund processing are being handled; documented evidence that the pattern of complaints we identified is being actively addressed; and a reasonable period of demonstrated improvement before we revisit the rating.
That door is open. But they need to walk through it.
Your Trust Is Worth Protecting
I started Eco-Stylist because I believed people deserved honest information about the brands they support. Not greenwashing. Not sustainability claims dressed up in pretty packaging. Real information, held to a real standard, updated when things change — including when they change for the worse.
Rob Lohman said he would rather close the doors than compromise Groceries Apparel’s values. We’re not asking them to close anything. We’re asking them to pick up the phone. To respond to their customers. To refund the money that people are owed. To be the brand they have always said they are.
Until that happens, we can’t in good conscience send our readers their way.
If you have questions, drop them in the comments below. And if you want to explore brands that are still earning your trust, our full Brand Guide is the place to start.
Dress like you give a damn.
— Garik
Garik Himebaugh is the founder of Eco-Stylist, the go-to resource to find ethical clothing. He’s also a sustainable personal stylist and international speaker on all things sustainable fashion. Garik loves coffee, climbing, and clothes.
