Kuwaii
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 5 sources
Melbourne womenswear and footwear label made mostly in Melbourne.
Kuwaii makes these lines in different places, so each has its own grade rather than one for the whole company.
Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Kuwaii makes 97% of its clothing in Australia, where legal wages are about a living wage. It carries the Australian Made label.
Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Kuwaii makes its footwear in China, where unions are heavily restricted. There's no proof it pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Kuwaii? Send a right of reply.
Compare Kuwaii with another brand
Graded by product line
Each line is graded on its own countries and certifications. Problems found anywhere count against every line unless they clearly belong to one.
| Line | Grade | Made in | Why it isn't Good |
|---|---|---|---|
| ClothingAbout 97% is made in Melbourne by a few local makers; knitwear (about 3%) comes from one BSCI- and WRAP-audited factory in China. | On Track | Australia 97%, China 3% Source |
|
| FootwearMade by one family-run factory in China that the brand says is undergoing SMETA audits; the factory is not named. | Lacks transparency | China Source |
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. |
There's no grade for the whole company, so these checks combine its product lines: a check is met only when every line meets it. What each line is missing is in the table above.
Good requirements, all lines 1 of 7
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationMet for Clothing only
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMet for Clothing only
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final one
- 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 (such as cotton and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its range
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wageFootwear only
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rightsFootwear only
Accreditations 1
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Kuwaii'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.
| Products | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Dresses & skirts, Shirts, Pants & trousers, Knitwear, Jackets & coatsGraded on its clothing line | On Track |
| Shoes, BootsGraded on its footwear line | Lacks transparency |
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
Where its clothing is made
Australia has the largest share, 97%. China is next, at 3%.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 97% | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| China | 3% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
Where its footwear is made
Kuwaii says which countries it makes its footwear in, but doesn't name the factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found across the company
- "Made in Australia" only means the last major stage happened there: under customs and consumer law, yarn, fabric, dyeing and, for shoes, uppers can be made elsewhere. It hasn't shown where those earlier stages happen, so where it's made counts towards On Track but not Good.
- 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 Kuwaii, founded in Melbourne in 2008 by Kristy Barber, says about 97% of its clothing is made in Melbourne by fewer than five local manufacturers, while its knitwear (about 3% of clothing) is made by one BSCI- and WRAP-audited factory in China and its footwear by a SMETA-audited family-run factory in China. The brand says all its clothing is accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia, but it does not appear in ECA's current brand directory. It does not name its garment or footwear factories or publish wage figures; it runs repair, resale and textile recycling programs.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical Clothing Australia | Not listed | Kuwaii says all its clothing is ECA accredited and Good On You recorded ECA accreditation in 2024, but the brand is not among the 57 brands in ECA's current brand directory. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Does not appear to be graded in the Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No supply chain labour allegations against Kuwaii were found. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Ethical Clothing Australia: brand sitemap · search the archive · Current list of 57 accredited brand profiles does not include Kuwaii.
- Good On You: Kuwaii · search the archive · Rated Good (4/5) for people as of April 2024; much of the supply chain including most final production certified by ECA; unclear whether living wages are ensured.
Published by Kuwaii or its owner
- Kuwaii: Manufacturing · search the archive · About 97% of clothing made in Melbourne by fewer than five local manufacturers; knitwear (3%) made by one factory in China (BSCI, WRAP Gold, ISO9001); footwear made in China at a family-run SMETA-audited factory; about 8,000 garments and 600 pairs of footwear a year; claims all clothing is ECA accre
- Kuwaii: About · search the archive · Established in 2008 by designer Kristy Barber; majority of range made in Melbourne; stores in Brunswick and Melbourne CBD.
- Kuwaii homepage · search the archive · Trading in 2026 with spring new arrivals; repairs, re-worn and textile recycling programs.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Kuwaii ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/kuwaii, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What the grades mean
Better-graded footwear
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 Kuwaii.