Crane Brothers
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Auckland menswear label selling suits and wedding tailoring.
Crane Brothers publishes no certification, independent audit or supplier list.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- 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 3 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Met: Respects worker rights
- 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
- Met: High-risk raw materials (cotton, leather and silk) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeTraced or certified: cotton. Only in a few products: leather and silk
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain: no certification, independent audits or supplier list
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Crane Brothers's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
Suits, Shirts, Pants & trousers, Jackets & coats, Knitwear, Shoes: Lacks transparency, the same as Crane Brothers overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
Crane Brothers says which countries it makes its products in, but doesn't name the factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for clothes and shoes: traces or certifies its cotton.
- Being made in Italy doesn't count towards a living wage or audit here: Italian fashion and leather goods, where Milan prosecutors have found luxury brands' subcontractors exploiting migrant workers. It would need to publish its suppliers or have them independently audited.
- Uses leather and silk in only a few products. It doesn't show where its leather comes from and traces or certifies most of its silk. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of them traced, certified or upcycled.
- Traces or certifies most but not all of its cotton. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Crane Brothers says its garments are made in Italy by long-standing independent makers (tailors in Rome, shirtmakers in Milan, tie makers on Lake Como, shoemakers in Florence), hand-finished in its Auckland workroom. It names Albini Group as sole shirt-cotton mill and Candiani (Italy) for its denim. It names no factories, publishes no supplier list, audits or certifications, and says nothing about wages paid by its makers; the living wage it mentions applies to its own roughly 15 staff.
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Crane Brothers in Milan (Together Journal) · search the archive · Shirts made in Milan, tailoring in Rome, cloth in Naples, silk ties on Lake Como, shoes in Florence; partners of 20+ years
- The Future of Crane Brothers (Together Journal) · search the archive · Founded by Murray Crane in Auckland in 1999; Italian suppliers used for over 20 years
Published by Crane Brothers or its owner
- Sustainability - Crane Brothers · search the archive · Garments all made in Italy; all shirt cotton from Albini Group; about 15 FTE staff paid the living wage; no audits or certifications named
- What we do - Crane Brothers · search the archive · Tailoring made in Italy and hand-finished in Auckland workroom; custom footwear in a choice of leathers
- Crane Brothers Denim - Dispatch · search the archive · Denim woven in Italy with Candiani Denim
- Crane Brothers Est 1999 - Dispatch · search the archive · Made in Italy line plus a 'globally sourced' Contemporary Tailoring line; no makers named
Company details
- Headquarters
- New Zealand
- Employees
- About 15
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Crane Brothers ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/crane-brothers, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded suits and tailoring
No suits and tailoring brand selling new goods is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. 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 Crane Brothers.