Scanlan Theodore

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources

Melbourne luxury womenswear label.

Scanlan Theodore publishes no supplier list or independent audits, which Italian fashion needs before we presume a living wage, because Milan prosecutors have found luxury brands' subcontractors exploiting migrant workers.

Better-graded suits and tailoring

Graded higher than Scanlan Theodore, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.

7 op shops and resale platforms, Good by ruleBuying second-hand or refurbished: Blue Spinach and Vestiaire Collective and 5 more · See them allGood Bianca SpenderMissing: where its earlier stages happen and a named supplier list · Clothing & footwearSydney-made women's designer fashionPays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verified MandatoryMissing: where its earlier stages happen and traced raw materials · Clothing & footwearWellington-made menswear and suitingPays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verified SuitsupplyMissing: living wage proof and traced raw materials · Clothing & footwearMen's and women's suitsPays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackVerified

No suits and tailoring brand selling new goods is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.

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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 a hidden, unaudited supply chain 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.

How grades are decided

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 Bangladesh, 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 (cotton, leather and silk) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton

Red flags 2

Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Red flag: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights

Stars it would earn as Good

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

Where it's made

Product labels show Italy. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.

Where it's made, and conditions there
Country	Worker rights	Legal minimum wage	Forced labour risk
ChinaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Moderate
Italy	Strong protections	Close to a living wage	Low
BangladeshUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
VietnamUsual for the industry	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
IndiaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	High
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
IndonesiaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
PakistanUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	High
Fiji	We don't have labour ratings for this country yet.

Evidence

What we found

Being made in Italy doesn't count towards a living wage or audit here: Italian fashion and leather goods, where Milan prosecutors have found luxury brands' subcontractors exploiting migrant workers. It would need to publish its suppliers or have them independently audited.
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.
Uses leather and silk in only a few products and doesn't show where they come from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of them traced, certified or upcycled.

Research notes Scanlan Theodore designs in Melbourne and says its clothes are made by a network of artisan partners, without naming countries or factories. In 2020 it called a garment factory in Samabula, Fiji 'our factory in Fiji', but has not said whether it still produces there or how much. Its leather shoes and belts are labelled made in Italy, and its crepe knit uses Italian yarn with FSC-certified viscose. It publishes no supplier list, modern slavery statement, audits or living wage commitment, and is not in the Ethical Fashion Report.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
Australian Modern Slavery Register	Not listed	No modern slavery statement lodged under the Scanlan Theodore name on the Australian register. View
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report	Not listed	Not rated in Baptist World Aid's Ethical Fashion Report. View

Unconfirmed reports

Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.

In 2011 the textile workers' union (TCFUA) protested at Scanlan & Theodore's Melbourne store after its knitwear supplier Blossom Road went into liquidation owing about 27 workers over $500,000 in entitlements, and alleged the business kept supplying the brand under a new name; the brand did not comment (Ragtrader, 2011). Source

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources

Australian Modern Slavery Register search: scanlan · search the archive · No modern slavery statement lodged under the Scanlan Theodore name
Scanlan saga continues (Ragtrader, 2011) · search the archive · Supplier Blossom Road liquidated owing 27 workers over $500,000; union alleged phoenix trading continued supplying the brand
Plans on hold (Fiji Sun, 2020) · search the archive · Scanlan Theodore planned to repurpose 'our factory in Fiji' at Samabula to make medical gowns

Published by Scanlan Theodore or its owner

About - Scanlan Theodore · search the archive · Designed in-house in Melbourne; made by a network of artisan partners; no countries or factories named
Crepe Knit Cotton Strapless Dress - Scanlan Theodore · search the archive · 100% cotton skirt; crepe knit of Italian polyamide and FSC-certified viscose; no country of manufacture
Square Toe Pump 9.5 - Scanlan Theodore · search the archive · Leather pump crafted in Italy; belts also labelled made in Italy
Silk Care Guide - Scanlan Theodore · search the archive · Silk pieces are made from 100% silk; no silk origin given

Company details

Headquarters: Australia
Last researched: 2 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Scanlan Theodore ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/scanlan-theodore, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method: Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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