KOOKAÏ
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 4 sources
Women's label selling dresses, tops, knitwear and tailoring.
KOOKAÏ scored 10/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, and there's no proof it pays more than the legal minimum, which in Sri Lanka is well below a living wage.
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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
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in Sri Lanka, China and India.
- 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
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- 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: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: Ethical Fashion Report 10/100 (2026)
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From KOOKAÏ's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Australia | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Italy | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Japan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| South Korea | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Türkiye | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Fiji | We don't have labour ratings for this country yet. | ||
Evidence
What we found
- Owns or runs its own production
- Modern slavery statement
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- 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 Unusually, KOOKAÏ makes most of its clothes in its own factories: Magi Enterprises Fiji in Nasinu (just under 1,000 workers, mostly basics) and Magi Lanka in Sri Lanka (about 600 workers, mostly the fashion range). Together they make about 80-85% of the collection, with the rest from suppliers in Australia, China, India, Italy, Japan, Korea and Turkey; no share per country is published. It says its own factories get independent social audits, but it publishes no supplier list, audit results or wage figures, and scored 10/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, well below the 31.5 average.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Problem found | Scored 10 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 15 in 2024. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Modern slavery statement says its own factories in Fiji and Sri Lanka make about 80-85% of the collection; no modern slavery cases identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 4
Show all 4 sources
- Kookai - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: KOOKAÏ 10/100 (average 31.5); family-owned; made in own factories in Fiji and Sri Lanka
Published by KOOKAÏ or its owner
- KOOKAÏ - Manufacturing · search the archive · Owns factories in Fiji (just under 1,000 staff) and Sri Lanka (just under 600); code requires living wage but no figures
- KOOKAÏ (Magi Enterprises) Modern Slavery Statement 2023 · search the archive · Own factories make about 80-85% of collection; sourcing countries listed; third-party audits at own sites; no cases found
- KOOKAÏ (Magi Enterprises) Modern Slavery Statement FY21 · search the archive · Own sites in Suva and Nasinu, Fiji, and Hanwella, Sri Lanka; limited visibility of tier 2 and 3
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is KOOKAÏ ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/kookai, 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
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 KOOKAÏ.