The name Madewell itself is an advert blurb. It tells you the company makes something well. Not to leave you guessing what it is they make well, they answer: “Simply put, we make great jeans. We also focus on
all the things that go with denim, like easy tees, keep-forever bags, wear-every-day jewellery and compliment-worthy shoes”.
This makes Madewell one of the many online shops for fashion and fashion accessories. But they say what sets them apart from the others is that their merchandise is made well (that is, of high quality). Is the shop worth trying?
Yes, MadeWell is legit. It is not a scam because they will never steal your money and credit card details will not be stolen. And you will get the products you ordered from the store without a problem.
This Madewell review will shine the spotlight on Madewell to determine whether the online shop is genuine, whether they offer fashion styles that’ll excite a fashionista, whether their products are actually made well (high quality), whether their items are pocket-friendly, and whether their services would give a painless customer experience.
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MadeWell is an online fashion store. You’ll see in the tags and some documentation of Madewell that 1937 is the year the Madewell brand started.
This is true but does not mean the company has been operating seamlessly since that time. Madewell was actually founded in 1937 in New England by Julius Kivowitz. But it definitely wasn’t a trendy choice for women because it was not the fast fashion shop that’ll have you stepping out in sexy, cool, tomboy or artful styles of the time. Though sexy, cool, tomboy, and artful are some of the words that describe Madewell today. At the time, they only sold jeans, bib overalls, and dungarees for factory workers and fishermen. They operated for decades, but all operation ceased when their last factory was shut down in 1989.
Fast forward to 2006, and J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler purchased the brand name and turned Madewell into what it is today – one of the most promising brands in the mass fashion market. Thus, Madewell is currently owned by J. Crew Group Inc. Madewell emphasizes their denim line; as a result, they are better known for their denim wears. Upon their rebirth in 2006, Madewell started off as a women fashion store. So apart from denim, they offer other women clothing. They would later add men’s range and some home collection to their product offering range as part of their expansion project.
Madewell is one fashion store that pursues creativity, and this has to lead to some super fashion products over the years. One of such is the Thermolite fibre which is touted as cold-weather denim which will keep you; another such product uses the latest stretch technology and is said to not sag even with heavy stretching.
MadeWell is legit, not a scam. For fear of being ripped off, when buying anything online, you’ll want to make sure that the online shop is legit. There are too many scam artists on the internet, and they use the online store as a front. They’ll display elegant merchandise which draws unsuspecting customers to make a payment, but there will be no delivery. Thus, one of the first questions that any online shopper will ask is whether Madewell is legit or just another scam.
The evidence shows that Madewell is legit. First, the company is registered and headquartered in the US. Also, it is owned by the equally fully registered (and legit) fashion giant – J. Crew; and its operators are well known. Suffice it to say that, scam stores do not pursue company registration, and their operators hide behind the scenes and are usually unknown.
The history of Madewell is a testament to their legitimacy. The brand is almost synonymous with the evolution of American shopping; also since its rebirth in about 2006, it has been regularly delivering orders. That’s over a decade of seamless operation. Suffice it to say that no scam store can last that long.
Another thing is that Madewell has the capacity to fulfill orders. This is made possible by the different fulfillment centres (physical stores) that the company has all over the US and in the UK. There’s no doubt that they have the merchandise and will ship it to you when you order it. This is far from scam stores that do not deliver items because there is usually no product to deliver. Scam stores have only virtual existence; there’s usually no physical factory, warehouse, or store.
That said, there’s no doubt that Madewell is legit – this is evident from their legal recognition, physical existence, storied history, a track record of fulfilling orders, and more.
Madewell is safe and will not be ripping you off, but another concern should be whether shopping there will leave you exposed to other scam artists. When you shop in any online store (including Madewell), you submit personal and sensitive information such as your name, date of birth, mailing address, credit card details, and more. A safe store would ensure that this information is protected, and not allowed to be captured by unauthorized third parties (that is, fraudsters).
We can’t give Madewell full stars here, but that is not to say it isn’t safe to shop in the store, but because there is no information provided about the security measures employed to ensure the protection of customers personal information and transaction details. Some other online stores clearly detail the technical and administrative data-protection measures taken in a dedicated page or as part of their privacy policy, but that was not the case with Madewell.
However, it is safe to say that Madewell is safe because their parent company J. Crew use the latest technology and some outstanding administrative measures to ensure the protection of Customers’ information and credit card details.
Though they offer own-branded products, Madewell also draws products from other top designers/ brands. The brands you’ll find being sold in Madewell are Apiece Apart, Hansel from Basel, Karen Walker, Maiami, Melissa Joy Manning, Owen Barry, Penfield, Snowe, Vans, and W&P.
Madewell has a tiered loyalty program that rewards you based on how much you spend. The first level (Madewell Insider) is free and open to everyone without having to spend any amount. All you have to do is create an account online, or go to any of their physical stores and create an account with one of their associates. The next higher level is the “Madewell Star”; and you’ll need to spend $500 or more to qualify. The highest level is the “Madewell Icon”, and you’ll need to spend over $1000 to be that icon.
The benefit you enjoy depends on your tier level. However, the Madewell Insider, which is the very first tier and which requires no minimum purchase amount to qualify, has some juicy benefits. These include free standard shipping and handling, free returns, free leather and denim personalization, free hemming, a birthday gift and more. The Madewell Star will get everything a Madewell Insider gets including the dedicated concierge phone line and annual collectable tote; while a Madewell Icon gets everything a Madewell Star gets including a semi-annual gift.
One downside of the loyalty program is that it is for US customers only. Thus, all international customers do not get any of free shipping, free returns, free hemming, free product personalization, a birthday gift, semi-annual gift etc. That’s almost like making living outside the US criminal.
Madewell clothing is quite a lot. Below we have selected some of the ones we found on the website. You can go click on the image to see more Madewell clothing samples.
Madewell shoes are listed here. We just randomly chose some of the shoes so you may click on the image to view more samples and choose the one that suits you most.
Madewell has lots of accessories to help complete your fashion desires. We just a random selection so make sure to click on the image for more samples.
The idea Madewell should have a wide product range. That way you are able to make a choice from a huge selection, and you are more likely to find something you like. Apart from giving you a choice, a wide product selection can also result in significant cost savings. This comes from bulk purchase discounts, and/ or paying for one order flat-rate shipment instead of buying items from different stores and shipping them individually.
is able to offer a wide range of fashion products for young women. However, the thrust of Madewell’s advertisements is their range of denim. They claim that Madewell is for denim lovers, and that appears spot on. They give you every denim piece of clothing. In the denim category, you’ll find two sections – denim fits and denim dressings. Items you’ll find under denim fits include Skinny Jeans, Curvy Jeans, Demi-Boot Jeans, Boyjeans, Perfect Vintage Jeans, Straight-Leg Jeans, Wide-Leg Jeans, Overalls & Jumpsuits, and Maternity Jeans. Under Denim dressing, you’ll find Denim Dresses, Denim Jackets, Denim Shirts, Denim Shorts, and Denim Skirts.
The denim thrust can give you the impression that Madewell sells only denim/ jeans, but that is not the case. Madewell is much more than just denim/ jeans. The online store focuses on women fashion, and they have the full gamut. Under women clothing category, you’ll find Sweaters, Sweatshirts, Tees & Tanks, Tops & Shirts, Dresses, Pants, Overalls & Jumpsuits, Shorts, Skirts, Jackets & Coats, Activewear, Intimates & Pajamas, Swimwear and others.
Other product categories include: women shoes (where you’ll find boots, flats, heels, mules & slides, oxfords & loafers, sandals, sneakers, slippers and more); women fashion accessories (where you’ll find bags, jewellery, scarves & bandanas, hats, gloves, sunglasses & cases, hair accessories, belts, socks & tights, and more); women beauty products (where you’ll find aromatherapy, bath & body items, beauty accessories, fragrance, hair care products, makeup, skin care products).
Madewell has also added a range of Home Collections, where you’ll find bed & bath accessories, Candles, Décor items, Gifts & Tech items, kitchen & bar collections, stationery, cards & books, travel & luggage items, and more. In recent times, expansion has caused Madewell to add a men’s range to their product offerings. Also, there is a focus on denim. You’ll find skinny jeans, slim jeans, and straight jeans being offered. Once again, it is not all about denim; there’s a men’s clothing category, where you’ll find Tees & sweatshirts, shirts, and jackets. You can also get men shoes and fashion accessories like belt, sunglasses, etc.
You’ll agree that it doesn’t matter if a shop holds a humongous inventory if the quality is generally poor. Therefore, after determining that Madewell has a good enough product range, the next concern should be the quality of the items offered.
On the Madewell website, you’ll find that the company makes a serious case for the technical superiority of the fabric used for their jeans line. Not only is the material said to give a “super-comfortable feel”, but it’s said that it uses the latest stretch technology, and thus have a high degree of stretching without bagging out. Madewell CEO is even quoted as saying that the material seems to “have memory and keep their shape” even after heavy stretching.
If you think this is a classic “company praising their product” stuff, it will interest you to know that customers’ reviews seem to agree. On a lot of customer review platforms, real customers who have bought from Madewell tend to agree that the items, especially the jeans, are top quality. Reviews include comments like: If we’re only talking about the jeans: 5 stars; their clothes are timeless pieces of which never get old; the quality of everything is top notch; they have incredible quality clothes, shoes, leather purses etc; some of the highest quality jeans I have ever owned; the fit of the jeans are incredible, and they don’t stretch out and lose shape even after years of wear; Madewell is forever my go-to denim brand. One review of bags from Madewell commented: “I have the transport tote and small leather pouch from them and I love them so much! The material is top quality and durable”.
From the numerous customer reviews of Madewell, one thing that can be gleaned is that the quality of their merchandise is not in doubt. The company advertises timeless pieces that don’t sag even after heavy stretching, and customers agree that the items they got from the store are just that. The company advertises super comfortable material, and customers agree that the pieces they got from the store are soft and worth every penny.
To most customers, price is the most important factor in any buy decision. Most often than not, customers do not want to pay over what is reasonable for an item no matter how desirable the item is. Therefore, it’s important to consider whether the merchandises in Madewell are within the reasonable price range.
Unfortunately, items in Madewell are on the high side. You’ll be hard pressed to find jeans that are priced below $75, as most of the jeans are over $100. Also, you’ll find that sweaters are in the $60 – %140 range; while most Tees are in the $40 – $80 range.
My opinion is that if you want to shop cheap, Madewell is not the place you should be checking. If you must know, it isn’t just me who think Madewell is quite on the high side. Customer reviews also seem to be unanimous on that. Remember the reviews that attested to Madewell’s quality, over 90% of those think Madewell can work to make their prices more competitive. The reviews include comments like: they should consider lowering the price on some items; Madewell offers terrific basics but they all seem to be overpriced; Madewell is expensive; they are more pricey; and more.
Does this mean that you should close the tab, and go to another online fashion shop? I don’t think so, and the many customers who have shopped in Madewell also do not think so. While Madewell is quite expensive; customers seem to agree that it’s completely worth it because of the top quality offered.
When checking out online stores, you’ll want to know the payment methods supported so that you’ll know if one of them is available to you for use in your territory, as well as whether it will be convenient. Convenient payment is should be part of the smooth and painless customer service that any online shop offers.
In this regard, we were not totally impressed with Madewell. It wasn’t that they do not support a good range of payment options, or that they supported options does not make for convenient payment; rather, it was because there is no information on the subject. There’s no dedicated page on their website that gives payment method details. Instead, you’ll have to select items and get to the checkout to know what options are available to you for making payment by virtue of where you are shopping from. The implication is that the payment options available to you at checkout may differ depending on your territory. Thus, no particular reviewer can determine the full range of payment options supported by Madewell.
That said, Madewell definitely accepts credit and debit cards, PayPal and gift cards, because these options were available to me from my location. They are global options; as such it is safe to say that they’ll be available for payment in almost every location that Madewell ships to. The options also afford convenience; thus, it can be drawn that paying for your orders in Madewell is painless.
It would also seem that Madewell accepts payment by check (cheque), because a statement on their returns/ refund policy is about how customers who made their purchases by check can process the request for refund. Many online fashion stores do not accept checks. Thus, it would appear than Madewell supports more payment options than many shops support.
Shipping is second only to price in the most listing of factors affecting online purchases. Two shipping considerations are shipping cost and shipping times. You don’t want shipping cost to be too much; else the total expenditure on the order will be too high. Also, you don’t want the shipping times to be too much; else you’ll have to wait frustratingly before receiving delivery of the order.
As a US-based retailer, Madewell ships to all 50 US states, including Washington DC, US P.O.Boxes, US territories, and military (APO/FPO/ DPO) addresses. There are different shipping options, such as economy shipping standard shipping, expedited shipping, and Overnight shipping; and the option chosen will determine the shipping cost and time.
Economy cost $3.00 and will take 5 – 8 business days; standard shipping cost $5.00 and will take 3 – 7 business days; expedited shipping cost $15.00 and will take 3 – 4 business days; while overnight shipping cost $25.00, and as the name suggest, you’ll receive delivery of your order the next day (as long as the order is placed before 1 PM ET Monday through Thursday).
Madewell’s shipping costs are flat rates, which mean that the cost does not increase with an increase in order size and weight. This is a good one because it will help you save significantly if your orders will be large. However, free shipping wins it anytime and draws the crowd because most customers will want to pay nothing to get their orders.
Thankfully (to US customers at least), Madewell offers free shipping. However, it’s only as part of their loyalty program (Madewell Insider, Madewell Star or Madewell Icon). The Madewell Insider has up to free standard shipping; while the Madewell Star and Icon have up to free expedited shipping.
There’s a plus and minus side to this “loyalty program attached” free shipping offer. On the minus side, you must be signed in to your Loyalty customer account at the time of purchase to be eligible for the free shipping and handling. If you’re not signed in to the loyalty account, you’ll be treated as a non-loyalty member and will be whatever shipping fees apply to your selected shipping option. Also, since the loyalty program is for only US customers, it means only US customers are eligible for free shipping. On the plus side, you (US customers of course) don’t have to spend up to a particular qualifying amount to be eligible for free shipping. As far as you are a Madewell Insider, you can get free shipping no matter the amount of your order. This is better than the regular free shipping model, where customers’ orders have to be up to a particular amount to qualify for free shipping. Thus, in Madewell, there is no psychological pressure to spend more than you wanted to just because you want to get free shipping.
Madewell also ships internationally. To Canada, two shipping options are available – standard and express. The standard shipping is via UPS i-parcel; it takes 2 to 10 business days and cost CAD 10. The UPS Worldwide Express takes up to 5 business days and costs CAD 25. Interestingly, Canadian customers are given a free express shipping offer; but this time, it’s the regular free shipping model. Every order of CAD 175 or more is eligible for free express shipping to Canada.
Madewell also ships to the Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Africa and the Middle East. The shipping costs to a specific destination are provided at checkout.
To Asia Pacific destinations, Standard shipping takes: 5 to 11 business days to Japan; 5 to 9 business days to China and Taiwan; 5 to 13 business days to India; 6 to 9 business days to Singapore; 6 to 10 business days to Korea and New Zealand; 6 to 12 business days to Thailand; 6 to 18 business days to Australia; 7 to 9 business days to Hong Kong; 8 to 15 business days to Indonesia. Standard shipping is not available to customers in Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Macau, Maldives, Pakistan, Philippines, and Sri Lanka. Madewell offers express shipping to all the Asia Pacific destinations mentioned above which take only up to 6 business days.
Express shipping is what’s mostly available to Latin America and Caribbean destinations. It takes 2 to 4 business days to St. Kitts and Nevis; and 2 to 6 business days to any of Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos Islands. Only Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico have the standard shipping option, and it takes 5 to 10 business days.
The two shipping options are available to European destinations. To addresses in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Iceland, Jersey, and Malta, Express shipping takes 2 to 6 business days. To addresses in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom, Express shipping takes 2 to 6 business days, while Standard shipping 4 to 8 business days. To addresses in Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia, Express shipping takes 2 to 6 business days, while Standard shipping takes 5 to 9 business days. To Russia, Express shipping takes 3 to 6 business days while Standard shipping takes 5 to 13 business days. Only standard shipping is available to Romania, and it takes 3 to 6 business days.
Madewell also ships to the Middle East, but currently ships to only Egypt in Africa. To Turkey, Express shipping takes 2 to 6 business days, while Standard shipping 5 to 13 business days. Only Express shipping is available to addresses in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Reunion, and it takes 3 to 6 business days. To Saudi Arabia, Express shipping takes 3 to 6 business days, while Standard shipping takes 5 to 12 business days. Finally, to Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Express shipping takes 3 to 6 business days, while Standard shipping 5 to 9 business days.
If your country is not in any of the above-mentioned, you should not order from Madewell, because it means that they do not currently ship to your country. However, there’s one good thing about the international shipment, which is that there are no additional costs that will be due on receipt of your order. Your final order total at checkout includes all international taxes, tariffs, value-added tax (VAT), etc.
In some online stores where international shipment attract additional costs (duty, customs, tariffs or COD), customers’ reviews are full of frustration at having these extra charges thrust on them, sometimes unsuspectingly. Therefore, it’s a big plus that international shipment in MadeWell is “clean”, where the order total presented at checkout is the exact total you pay to receive your orders.
When making online purchases, there is a need to consider whether the store allows returns. This is because there are a lot of reasons why you may have to return an item after receiving delivery of it. For sized products, there is the possibility that the item ordered is a wrong fit. It could also be that an item gets to you damaged, and there’s even the possibility of getting a wrong item. The list is endless.
Thankfully, Madewell allows returns. Their returns policy allows a 30 days returns window. If you are not totally satisfied with your order, you can return it for a full refund, or for exchange with another item. Madewell will accept the returned items as long as the return is made within 30 days of the original purchase.
The returned items also need to be in their original conditions. That is, they must be unworn, unwashed, and undamaged. Also, all tags must be intact. In the case of swim wears, body suits and intimates, all protective liners must also still be intact.
As a perk of the Madewell loyalty program, Madewell Insiders can make free returns. Madewell includes a shipping returns label to ease the returns process. The cost of the returns label is $7.50, and it is borne by Madewell for their loyalty members. But for all others, the cost will be deducted from the refund. It should be said that as a loyalty member if your items do not get to Madewell within the 30 days window, they will still be accepted, but you’ll lose the free returns perk, and will be charged the $7.50.
As much as possible, refunds are made through the original payment method. However, you have to allow for two weeks for the returned items to be processed.
You may have some questions relating to your transaction or you may have issues with your order; in either case, you’ll need the shop to have an effective customer support service to provide you with needed assistance.
There are different ways through which you can reach a support agent of Madewell – email, fax, post, telephone or twitter. One good thing is that the support service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, it will appear that the company favours email and telephone options.
For email support, you can send them a mail from the contact form on their website, or directly from your mail box using contactus@madewell.com or Julie@madewell.com. Madewell pledge that email support submissions will be replied within 48 hours, which in my opinion can be improved upon.
You can use the telephone service at 434 385 5792; or the fax at 434 385 5754. If you’ll rather use social media, their twitter handle is @askmadewell; and for the good old traditional mail, you can post to Madewell Customer Relations, One Ivy Crescent, Lynchburg, VA 24513-1001.
However, it should be said that while Madewell has glowing reviews in most areas, customer support is not one of them. Many customers were left unimpressed with their customer service, especially the in-store service. The online store seems to better but does not qualify for a five-star rating.
Madewell is a legit fashion store that is underlining what it takes to stay successful in the mass fashion market – Quality. The company has stayed true to its name: its products are made well. They have thrown their weight behind their denim line, and the shop is definitely one you’ll want to go to if you want top quality jeans.
Their product line is not the largest you’ll find, but they offer other women clothing, including a men’s range, and home collection. Their prices may initially want to scare you off, but if you steer to the sales section, you’ll find reasonable prices (though relatively higher) for top quality items.
On the service angle, they have a loyalty program that is too juicy for those that qualify – free shipping, free returns, free items personalization, free hemming and more. However, since only US customers can qualify, it makes it look like a crime to be outside the US. Though there are different customer support channels, and the service is available 24/ 7, response times and helpfulness of the support service can see some improvement.
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Madewell has terrible customer service. I returned an item within the 30 day return window using the pre-paid postage label with free return shipping for Madewell insiders. However they would not refund my purchase and instead gave me a store credit and charged me for return postage because they claim that the 30 day period starts on the purchase date and runs through the date the return is received by them. My purchase took nearly a week to be delivered and the return using their shipping method took nearly two weeks to be received by them. This is incredibly bad customer service and their email reply I received from them was impersonal and snarky.