Whistles

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

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources

London brand selling contemporary womenswear and menswear.

Whistles 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.

Better-graded everyday fashion

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

3 resale and rental platforms, Good by ruleBuying second-hand or refurbished: SWOP Clothing Exchange, AirRobe and Grailed · See them allGood The Social StudioClothing & footwearSocial enterprise fashion labelIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond MiddlemostClothing & footwearOne-off clothing from vintage textilesIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond The Social OutfitClothing & footwearSydney-made social enterprise fashionIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond

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 2 of 6 Good requirements.
Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
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 2 of 6

Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in China, Vietnam and India.
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, silk and cashmere) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton

Red flags 1

Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage

Stars it would earn as Good

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

Accreditations 1

amfori BSCI / SMETA auditsSupportive: it counts in its favour but isn't proof on its own.

Where it's made

Whistles names some of the countries it makes in: China, Spain, India, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Mauritius, Portugal, Tunisia, Türkiye and Vietnam. 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
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
Türkiye	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Very high
Spain	Strong protections	Close to a living wage	Low
Sri Lanka	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Morocco	Regular violations	Well below a living wage	Low
Mauritius	Regular violations	Below a living wage	Low
Portugal	Strong protections	Close to a living wage	Low
Tunisia	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Low
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
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

Evidence

What we found

Modern slavery statement
Independent social audits of all its main factories
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, silk and cashmere 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 Whistles uses 68 first-tier factory sites in 16 countries; its top 10 (China, Turkey, Vietnam, India, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Tunisia, Spain and Morocco) make 99.2% of volume, but shares per country are not published for the brand. Owner TFG London works with the Ethical Trading Initiative, Anti-Slavery International and the ITF, and says suppliers face annual third-party (SMETA) audits. The group names state-imposed forced labour in China, child labour in India and low pay as high risks, but has no living wage commitment or wage data. No confirmed labour abuses linked to Whistles suppliers have been reported.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry	Listed	Covered by the TFG Brands (London) 2025/26 transparency statement: Whistles uses 68 first-tier factory sites in 16 countries via 50 suppliers. View
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre	Listed	Company profile lists no labour abuse stories and no response requests. View

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources

TFG Brands (London) Transparency Statement 2025/26 · search the archive · Whistles: 68 tier-one sites, 16 countries, 50 suppliers; top 10 countries are 99.2% of volume; no brand shares; no living wage commitment
Whistles Ultimate Silk Shirt (John Lewis) · search the archive · 100% silk shirt; silk used in some lines of the womenswear range

Published by Whistles or its owner

UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry - TFG Brands (London) 2025 · search the archive · 2024/25 group statement: supplier-arranged third-party audits; forced labour risk in China; cotton purchases moved out of China
Whistles - Manufacture · search the archive · Suppliers must at minimum carry out annual third-party audits; ETI member; Better Buying purchasing review since 2017
Whistles - Committed to Change · search the archive · Target of 100% of factories SMETA audited; core fibres include cotton, leather and wool
Whistles - Materials · search the archive · Core materials cotton, polyester, viscose, wool; leather (LWG) and traceable cashmere used; no origin figures given
Whistles - Ethical trade · search the archive · ETI member; Employer Pays Principle rolled out; part of Mauritius Working Group

Company details

Owned by: TFG Brands (London) Limited, part of TFG Limited (South Africa)
Headquarters: United Kingdom
Last researched: 3 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Whistles ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/whistles, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method: Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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