Wilderness Wear
Good. Shows the people who make its products are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Melbourne maker of merino clothing in its own facility.
Ethical Clothing Australia checks that every worker in Wilderness Wear's Australian supply chain is paid award wages and entitlements.
Also worth knowing
Wilderness Wear carries the Australian Made label.
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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 |
|---|---|---|
| Open supply chain | Earned | |
| Pays above a living wage | Not earned | |
| Gives workers a real voice | 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 (such as cotton and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNone recorded in a major share of its range
Red flags 0
None found.
Accreditations 2
- 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.
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Wilderness Wear'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.
Knitwear, T-shirts, Underwear, Socks, Hats, Jackets & coats, Activewear: Good, the same as Wilderness Wear 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 Wilderness Wear'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
- No high-risk raw materials (such as cotton and leather) are recorded in a major share of its range, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good.
- Owns or runs its own production
- Uses little or no cotton (e.g. wool, linen or leather products)
Research notes Wilderness Wear has made its outdoor clothing in Melbourne since 1989, knitting and sewing garments at its own facility in Preston, Victoria, with wool from Tasmanian growers. It has been accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia since 2012 and is still listed in the ECA directory, which means its local supply chain is checked for award wages and entitlements. No labour abuses have been reported, though it does not publish a headcount or a list of the other local manufacturers it uses.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical Clothing Australia | Certified | Listed in Ethical Clothing Australia's current brand directory as accredited, with products 100% made in Australia; accredited since 2012; still listed as accredited in November 2026. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Not graded in the Ethical Fashion Report (2026 is the latest edition), which covers larger companies. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No supply chain labour allegations against Wilderness Wear appear in searches. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Ethical Clothing Australia: Wilderness Wear brand page · search the archive · Listed as ECA accredited (page updated November 2026); products 100% made in Australia.
- Ethical Clothing Australia brand sitemap · search the archive · Wilderness Wear is among the 57 brands in the current ECA brand directory.
- Australian Made: Wilderness Wear Australia licensee · search the archive · Australian Made licensee for socks, base layers, mid layers, waterproofs, activewear and accessories.
- Ragtrader: Wilderness Wear earns accolade · search the archive · ECA accreditation in October 2012; founder Phil Endersbee says the company continues to manufacture in Australia.
- Humanitix: Wilderness Wear Factory Tour · search the archive · September 2026 tours of its facility at 3 Kia Ct, Preston VIC, where garments are designed, knitted and made.
Published by Wilderness Wear or its owner
- Wilderness Wear website · search the archive · 'Proudly 100% Australian Made in Melbourne since 1989'; wool from specific Tasmanian growers; ECA accredited; trading in 2026.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Wilderness Wear ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/wilderness-wear, 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 Wilderness Wear.