Blue Illusion
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 3 sources
Family-owned Melbourne womenswear retailer selling clothing and knitwear.
Blue Illusion scored 6/100 in the 2024 Ethical Fashion Report, and we couldn't confirm where it makes most of its products.
Also worth knowing
Most clothes and shoes are made in countries such as China and Bangladesh, where pay is usually below a living wage and unions are heavily restricted.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Blue Illusion? Send a right of reply.
Compare Blue Illusion with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, a hidden, unaudited supply chain, probably in high-risk countries and a failing or very low rating (Ethical Fashion Report 6/100 in 2024). 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.
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 rightsWhere clothes and shoes are usually made, such as China and Bangladesh, 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) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
Red flags 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, probably mostly in countries with poor worker rights
- Red flag: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: Ethical Fashion Report 6/100 (2024)
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
We couldn't confirm where Blue Illusion makes most of its products, so this shows where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 30% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | 20% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | 15% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | 10% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Cambodia | 8% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Türkiye | 7% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Indonesia | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Pakistan | 5% | 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.
Research notes Blue Illusion's products are made by outside suppliers, some outside Australia, but it does not name its production countries or factories. Its social compliance policy bans child and forced labour, caps regular hours at 48 and total hours at 60 a week and requires at least the legal minimum wage, but it publishes no supplier list, audit results or living wage commitment. It is a Better Cotton member, scored 6/100 in the 2024 Ethical Fashion Report, and showed no evidence of meeting the 2020 COVID Fashion Commitments.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Problem found | Scored 6 out of 100 in the 2024 Ethical Fashion Report, in the bottom 20% of 120 companies; its ethical.org.au page shows no 2026 result. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 3
Show all 3 sources
- Blue Illusion - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · 2024 Ethical Fashion Report score 6/100, bottom 20%; no COVID Fashion Commitments (2020); Better Cotton member; family-owned
- Blue Illusion plans Iris Apfel campaign (WWD) · search the archive · Melbourne-based womenswear retailer founded by Donna and Danny Guest with stores in Australia, NZ and the US
Published by Blue Illusion or its owner
- Social Compliance Policy (Blue Illusion) · search the archive · Suppliers may be outside Australia; requires legal minimum wage, 60-hour cap, no child or forced labour; no countries or factories named
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Blue Illusion ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/blue-illusion, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded everyday fashion
None of the everyday fashion brands we know to make knitwear is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. The Social Studio, Middlemost and The Social Outfit are Good, but we don't know that they make knitwear. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Blue Illusion.