Rossi Boots
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 30 October 2026 · 7 sources
Australian leather boot brand owned by Gina Rinehart's S. Kidman & Co.
Rossi Boots can't show that the workers who make its products in Vietnam and India earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
Better-graded footwear
Graded higher than Rossi Boots, 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 Rossi Boots? Send a right of reply.
Compare Rossi Boots with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and unaudited production in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- 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 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and India, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not 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
- Not met: High-risk raw materials (leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: leather
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
Its parent group's figures name India, China and Vietnam. Product labels show Indonesia. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| BangladeshUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| CambodiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Modern slavery statement
- Uses little or no cotton (e.g. wool, linen or leather products)
- Doesn't show where its leather comes from. Leather is linked to hazardous tannery work and forced labour on some cattle ranches, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
Research notes Rossi made boots in its own Adelaide factory for over a century. Its website says its Ripple Sole desert boot was made there until 2023, the year S. Kidman & Co bought the brand. Boots now listed on its website and by retailers are labelled Made in Indonesia. Parent Hancock Prospecting says Kidman's apparel business has key suppliers in India, Indonesia, China and Vietnam and that it visited significant supplier factories. Rossi names no factories or tanneries and publishes no audits, wage information or leather sourcing details for its current range.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Covered by Hancock Prospecting's FY2024 statement, which says Kidman's apparel brands (Driza-Bone, Rossi) have key suppliers in India, Indonesia, China and Vietnam. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Propel Group confirms sale of another Aussie brand (Inside Retail) · search the archive · Rossi Boots sold to S Kidman and Co in December 2023; still stocked by RB Sellars stores nationally
- Rossi Boots Unisex Buckle/Lace Shearing Boots (666C) - Allingtons · search the archive · Australian retailer listing; Made in Indonesia
- Rossi Boots takes next step in rebuild (Stock Journal) · search the archive · Under previous owner Propel (2020-21), Adelaide factory bought back, with part of the range made by international production partners
Published by Rossi Boots or its owner
- Rossi Boots - Since 1908 · search the archive · Ripple Sole desert boot made in the South Australian factory until 2023; bought by S. Kidman & Co in 2023
- 303 Endura Boot Rust - Rossi Boots · search the archive · Product specifications: Made in Indonesia; full grain leather upper
- Macedon 415 Moc Mocha - Rossi Boots · search the archive · Product specifications: Made in Indonesia
- Hancock Prospecting Modern Slavery Statement FY2024 · search the archive · Kidman sells apparel through Driza-Bone and Rossi Boots; key suppliers in India, Indonesia, China and Vietnam; site visits to significant suppliers
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 30 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Rossi Boots ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/rossi-boots, last researched 30 October 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 Rossi Boots.