Lack of Color
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 3 sources
Queensland hat brand selling wool felt and straw hats.
There's no proof Lack of Color pays more than the legal minimum, which in the United States and Mexico is below a living wage.
Better-graded bags and accessories
Graded higher than Lack of Color, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.
Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Lack of Color? Send a right of reply.
Compare Lack of Color with another brand
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 the United States and China.
- 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 (such as cotton and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNone recorded in a major share of its range
Red flags 1
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
Lack of Color says which countries it makes its products in, but doesn't name the factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| Mexico | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Dominican Republic | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- No high-risk raw materials (such as cotton and leather) are recorded in a major share of its range, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good.
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- Uses little or no cotton (e.g. wool, linen or leather products)
Research notes Lack of Color designs and finishes its hats in Australia and says they are handmade by artisans in the USA, Mexico, China and the Dominican Republic, but it does not say how much is made in each country or name its factories. It says all its factories hold amfori BSCI audits and that it visits them regularly, but it publishes no supplier list, audit results, living wage commitment or modern slavery statement. Its wool is described as 100% Australian. No labour abuse reports linked to its suppliers have been published.
Sources and actions
Sources 3
Show all 3 sources
- Lack of Color launches in the United States (Hypebae, 2021) · search the archive · Founded by Tess Corvaia and Robert Tilbury; Australian label opened a Los Angeles warehouse in 2021
Published by Lack of Color or its owner
- Ethics - Lack of Color · search the archive · Designed and finished in Australia; handmade in the USA, Mexico, China and Dominican Republic; all factories BSCI; Australian wool; Burleigh Heads HQ
- About us - Lack of Color · search the archive · Founded in 2011 by Rob and Tess; luxury headwear designed in Australia for women, men and kids
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Lack of Color ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/lack-of-color, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Lack of Color.