The Social Outfit
Good. Shows the people who make its products are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Sydney charity making clothing in its own workroom.
The Social Outfit makes its social enterprise fashion 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 The Social Outfit? Send a right of reply.
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Why it's graded Good
- Met: Meets all 6 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
- Met: Earns 3 stars for going above and beyond.
| Star | Awarded for | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Gives workers a real voice | Earned | |
| Pays above a living wage | 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 and silk) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeTraced or certified: cotton. Only in a few products: silk
Red flags 0
None found.
Accreditations 3
- 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.
- Social Traders certified social enterpriseSupportive: it counts in its favour but isn't proof on its own.
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using The Social Outfit'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, T-shirts, Pants & trousers, Jackets & coats, Bags & backpacks: Good, the same as The Social Outfit 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
From The Social Outfit'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
- Passes the raw-material check for clothes and shoes: traces or certifies its cotton.
- Owns or runs its own production
- Upcycled, deadstock or remade materials
- Actively empowers workers (ownership, worker committees, union agreements, training)
- Uses silk in only a few products and uses upcycled or deadstock material for part of it. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
- Traces or certifies most but not all of its cotton. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes The Social Outfit is a Sydney charity and social enterprise that makes all its clothing and accessories in its own Marrickville workroom, employing and training refugee and new migrant women, many in their first Australian job. Its workroom is accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia, and it says sewers are paid above Award wages; about 85% of garments use donated or deadstock fabric. It reports more than 125 people employed and over $2 million in wages paid through its programs since 2014, but does not publish wage rates or say where its donated fabrics were originally made.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical Clothing Australia | Certified | Listed in Ethical Clothing Australia's current brand directory and brand sitemap as accredited, with 100% of products made in Australia; still listed as accredited in November 2026. View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | No B Corp certification is claimed by the organisation or shown in search results. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No labour allegations against The Social Outfit appear in news or NGO reporting. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Ethical Clothing Australia: The Social Outfit · search the archive · Accredited by ECA; 100% made in Australia in its Marrickville workroom; registered charity (page updated November 2026).
- Ethical Clothing Australia: Brand directory · search the archive · The Social Outfit listed among current accredited brands (57 brands).
- Inside Retail: The Social Outfit CEO on building commercial success through an ethical model (2026) · search the archive · Nine sewers in the in-house Sydney workroom; more than 125 refugees and migrants employed since 2014.
- CivicGraph: The Social Outfit Incorporated (ACNC data) · search the archive · ABN 38 909 279 395, PBI registered with ACNC since 2012; 11 FTE staff and revenue of about $996K in FY2023.
- Westpac: The Social Outfit seals game-changer contract win (2024) · search the archive · Made about 2,000 scarves and pocket squares for Westpac in its workroom; employed over 100 refugee women.
Published by The Social Outfit or its owner
- The Social Outfit: Certifications · search the archive · Workroom accredited by ECA; certified social enterprise with Social Traders; registered charity with the ACNC.
- The Social Outfit: Home · search the archive · Spring 2026 collection; made in own Marrickville workroom; 85% donated or deadstock fabric; sewers paid above Award; $2M+ wages paid.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Employees
- About 15
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is The Social Outfit ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/the-social-outfit, 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 The Social Outfit.