Academy Brand

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources

Australian label selling classic casual menswear, womenswear and kidswear.

There's no proof Academy Brand pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and a hidden, unaudited supply chain in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.

How grades are decided

Good requirements 1 of 6

Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and Bangladesh, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton

Red flags 2

Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Red flag: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

Academy Brand names some of the countries it makes in: China. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.

Where it's made, and conditions there
Country	Worker rights	Legal minimum wage	Forced labour risk
China	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Moderate
BangladeshUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
VietnamUsual for the industry	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
IndiaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	High
CambodiaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
TürkiyeUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Very high
IndonesiaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
PakistanUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	High

Evidence

What we found

Doesn't show where its cotton comes from. Cotton is linked to forced labour in Xinjiang and Turkmenistan, and child labour in several growing regions, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
Uses leather in only a few products and doesn't show where it comes from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.

Research notes Academy Brand publishes no supplier list, code of conduct, audit results or living wage commitment, and has no modern slavery statement on the Australian register; it is not rated in the Ethical Fashion Report or Fashion Transparency Index. Its online store tags products by origin, and 41 of 42 products sampled in October 2026, and all 15 checked in November 2026, were tagged China, so production is shown as China. Most ranges are cotton, with leather only on a few trims. No labour abuses at its suppliers have been reported.

Sources and actions

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources

The Academy Brand's $15 million secret (Ragtrader) · search the archive · Founded by Anthony Pitt; grew to about $15 million revenue; Sydney stores
Academy Brand help centre - General · search the archive · FAQ covers stores, stockists and careers; nothing on manufacturing or ethics

Published by Academy Brand or its owner

Academy Brand - online store product data (page 1) · search the archive · All visible products tagged 'china'; knit polos and cord shirts 100% cotton, other lines linen, cotton-linen or recycled polyester
Academy Brand - online store product data (page 4) · search the archive · All 15 products tagged 'china', incl. kids' lines; cotton polos, cotton twill shorts and cotton waffle shirts
Academy Brand - online store product data (page 9) · search the archive · 12 of 13 tagged products tagged 'china'; denim jacket has a real leather label trim; no leather or suede garments
Academy Brand - official website · search the archive · Australian label selling classic clothing for men, women and kids; no sourcing or ethics information published

Company details

Headquarters: Australia
Last researched: 3 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Academy Brand ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/academy-brand, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method: Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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