Labour Lens

Romance Was Born

On Track

On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.

Clothing & footwear

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 5 sources

Sydney designer label known for colourful, theatrical womenswear.

Romance Was Born makes its products in Australia, where labour laws are strong and legal wages are about a living wage.

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Why it's graded On Track

How grades are decided

Good requirements 4 of 7

  • Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in Australia are about a living wage, not checked at the company
  • Met: Respects worker rights
  • Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standardsPresumed from where it's made, not audited
  • Not met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final oneA "Made in" claim can cover only the final stage. Earlier stages to show: yarn, fabric, dyeing and, for shoes, uppers
  • 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 0

None found.

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Estimates for its products

Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Romance Was Born'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.

Dresses & skirts, Shirts, Pants & trousers, Jackets & coats, Knitwear: On Track, the same as Romance Was Born overall, because nothing we know differs between them.

Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.

Where it's made

Romance Was Born says which countries it makes its products in, but doesn't name the factories.

Where it's made, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
AustraliaStrong protectionsAbout a living wageLow

Evidence

What we found

  • "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. Source
  • 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 Romance Was Born is a small independent label that publishes no supplier list, modern slavery statement or living wage commitment, and is not rated in the Ethical Fashion Report or Fashion Transparency Index. A 2026 Russh feature says every piece is made in Australia; for its 2018 Paris couture show most work was done in Australia but some beading was done in India. A 2021 capsule was made by The Social Studio's ECA-accredited Melbourne workroom, but the label holds no accreditation. No labour abuses have been reported.

Sources and actions

Sources 5

Show all 5 sources
  1. Romance Was Born calls on The Social Studio to manufacture new collection (Ragtrader, 2021) · search the archive · 2021 capsule made in The Social Studio's ECA-accredited Collingwood workroom
  2. Koala couture (The Economist, 2018) · search the archive · Paris couture collection: most work done in Australia, some beading completed in India, knitters and quilters from NSW
  3. Fashion brands made in Australia (Russh, 2026) · search the archive · Lists Romance Was Born and says every piece is made in Australia
  4. Australian designers Luke Sales and Anna Plunkett (FDCI, 2013) · search the archive · Special line based on work with the Varanasi silk weaving industry in India
  5. Romance Was Born, fashion label (Rebuild with TAFE) · search the archive · Label run by founders Luke Sales and Anna Plunkett, stocked internationally

Company details

Headquarters
Australia
Last researched
2 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Romance Was Born ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/romance-was-born, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means

Better-graded everyday fashion

15 op shops and resale platforms, Good by ruleBuying second-hand or refurbished: GlamCorner and Blue Spinach and 13 more · See them allGoodThe Social StudioClothing & footwearSocial enterprise fashion labelIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Gives workers a real voice; Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities4 starsMiddlemostClothing & footwearOne-off clothing from vintage textilesIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Open supply chain3 starsThe Social OutfitClothing & footwearSydney-made social enterprise fashionIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Gives workers a real voice3 stars

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 Romance Was Born.

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