Otto & Spike
Good. Shows the people who make its products are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Melbourne knitwear label making beanies, scarves and socks.
Otto & Spike makes its wool beanies, scarves and socks in its own factories in Australia, and carries the Australian Made label.
Also worth knowing
Ethical Clothing Australia checks that every worker in its Australian supply chain is paid award wages and entitlements.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Otto & Spike? Send a right of reply.
Compare Otto & Spike with another brand
Why it's graded Good
- Met: Meets all 6 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
| Star | Awarded for | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Pays above a living wage | Not earned | |
| Gives workers a real voice | Not earned | |
| Open supply chain | Not earned | |
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities | Not earned |
3 stars for the first way it goes above and beyond, and one more for each further way, up to 6. About stars
Good requirements 6 of 6
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: award wages independently checked (Ethical Clothing Australia)
- Met: Respects worker rights
- 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
- Met: High-risk raw materials (cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeOnly in a few products: cotton
Red flags 0
None found.
Accreditations 2
- Ethical Clothing AustraliaCounts as proof of a living wage for products made in Australia, because it checks workers get the legal pay rates for their job, and in Australia those are about a living wage.
- Australian MadeCounts as made in Australia for the final stage. For Good, the brand also needs to show where its materials and parts are made.
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Otto & Spike'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.
Hats, Socks: Good, the same as Otto & Spike overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
- A product made with cotton: On Track
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
From Otto & Spike's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Uses cotton in only a few products, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good. It doesn't show where its cotton comes from. The "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
- Owns or runs its own production
Research notes Otto & Spike is the own label of the Mananov family's knitting business, LMB Knitwear, which has been knitting in Brunswick, Melbourne since 1969. Its beanies, scarves, blankets and other knitwear are made in the family's own small factory in Brunswick East, and its cotton-blend socks are also made in Melbourne. It is listed in Ethical Clothing Australia's current directory as accredited and 100% made in Australia, which means its local supply chain is checked for award wages and entitlements. It publishes no separate report on wool or yarn sourcing beyond saying it uses Australian merino and lambswool.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical Clothing Australia | Certified | Listed in Ethical Clothing Australia's current brand directory as accredited and 100% made in Australia. View |
| Fair Wear | Unclear | Not checked; Fair Wear membership is not relevant to an Australian-made brand. View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | No B Corp certification is mentioned by the brand. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No labour allegations against Otto & Spike appear in news or NGO reporting. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Ethical Clothing Australia: Otto & Spike · search the archive · Accredited by ECA, 100% made in Australia; knitting in Brunswick since 1969; uses Australian lambswool (listing updated 1 Nov 2026).
- Ethical Clothing Australia brand sitemap · search the archive · Otto & Spike is among the 57 brands in the current ECA directory.
- National Museum of Australia shop: Otto & Spike socks · search the archive · Otto & Spike socks are made in Melbourne, Australia, from 60% cotton and 40% nylon/Lycra.
- Ragtrader: In the loop · search the archive · Otto and Spike is made by LMB Knitwear in Brunswick, founded by the Mananov family; uses excess wool from Australia and New Zealand.
- The Design Files: Family portrait, the Mananovs of Otto & Spike (2014) · search the archive · Family-run by Les, Anthony and Kirstie Mananov; 16 staff; label launched in 2006 after surf-brand clients moved production offshore in 2004.
Published by Otto & Spike or its owner
- Otto & Spike official website · search the archive · Shop trading in late 2026; knitwear made in its small factory in Brunswick East VIC 3057; family knitting in Brunswick since 1969.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Otto & Spike ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/otto-and-spike, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Good 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 Otto & Spike.