Labour Lens

Gloweave

Lacks transparency

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

Clothing & footwear

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 4 sources

Melbourne shirt maker known for men's business shirts.

We couldn't confirm where Gloweave makes most of its men's shirts and corporate uniforms.

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.

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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, probably 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 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 2

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
  • Red flag: Hidden supply chain, probably 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

Not confirmed

We couldn't confirm where Gloweave makes most of its products, so this shows where clothes and shoes are usually made.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
CountryShareWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
China30%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
Bangladesh20%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
Vietnam15%Systematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
India10%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
Cambodia8%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
Türkiye7%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageVery high
Indonesia5%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
Pakistan5%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageHigh

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 Gloweave made shirts at its own factory in Fitzroy, Melbourne until the 1990s, when falling tariffs ended local production; its shirts are now made offshore in Asia, but it does not name the countries or factories. It publishes no supplier list, factory audits, modern slavery statement or living wage commitment, holds no labour certifications and is not rated in the Ethical Fashion Report. No labour abuses linked to its suppliers have been reported.

Sources and actions

Sources 4

Show all 4 sources
  1. Gloweave shirt makers (Museums Victoria Collections) · search the archive · Founded 1944; Fitzroy factory until the 1990s; now Gloweave Consolidated Pty Ltd, shirts made offshore in Asia
  2. Gloweave Royal Oxford Degraves shirt (Atom) · search the archive · Gloweave sells Royal Oxford and premium poplin business shirts (shirting fabrics, cotton assumed for clothing)

Published by Gloweave or its owner

  1. CAREER by Gloweave - official website · search the archive · Australian owned since 1944; sells shirts, suiting and separates for corporate uniforms; no sourcing or ethics information
  2. About Us (CAREER by Gloweave) · search the archive · Australian owned and operated since 1944; no information on where products are made, suppliers, audits or certifications

Company details

Headquarters
Australia
Last researched
2 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Gloweave ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/gloweave, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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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.

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Something missing or wrong?

Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Gloweave.

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