Are NZ Fashion Brands Ethical?
We’re lucky to have so many NZ made clothing brands in Aotearoa, but the catch is… not all NZ brands produce ethically made clothing.
Just because something is made in New Zealand, doesn’t mean it is ethical or sustainable. New Zealand isn’t exempt from exploitation, unfair wages, and unsustainable working environments. Unfortunately, wherever you find human beings, you also find room for unethical behaviour.
A good example is the NZ clothing brand, Kilt. The question ‘Is Kilt an ethically made clothing brand?’ is common in my inbox as a sustainable fashion blogger. This ‘sustainable’ clothing brand produces beautiful garments “with the best NZ made products at affordable prices, while impacting less on the environment.” But stating these words isn’t enough. Any brand can claim this on its website.
Alongside my researcher, Stef, I’ve dived into an investigation on Kilt to help you understand that not all NZ fashion brands are ethical fashion brands and what to look out for when you investigate other NZ clothing companies.
The purpose of this blog post is not to point fingers or conclude whether Kilt is ethical or not. Your values and ethics will be different to mine; I encourage you to absorb this information and make your own decision (psst… the best decision is to shop your own wardrobe).
Pay, Pricing and Worker Rights of NZ made clothing brand, Kilt
KILT talks about how they are ‘proud to be a part of a growing global movement that has already made great strides in improving conditions for workers across the apparel and accessories production industry and to contribute to achieving ever-greater levels of transparency and protection for those workers in the near and distant future’. However, Kilt makes no mention of the living wage (living wage isn’t actually that different from minimum wage at the moment, but it’s a good start) or worker pay.
In their code of conduct, this is the only mention of wages when it comes to suppliers: 'All suppliers shall ensure that wages for a normal workweek, not including overtime, shall always meet the legal industry minimum standard or collective bargaining agreement (where applicable) at least, and shall provide all legally mandated benefits. All overtime shall be reimbursed at a premium rate as defined by national law or established by a collective bargaining agreement (where applicable). We prohibit the use of excessive Overtime.' Again making no mention of living wages.
Several accreditations to do with environmental sustainability are well documented on their website and socials but no living wage accreditation or mention at all of the workers’ pay is seen on their website or social media.
No mention of pay on any job listings. On their job vacancy page, it talks about how they prefer to call 'work' 'fun.'
Upon inquiring about a role, my researcher received a reply… ‘We normally discuss our salary banding at the interview stage however this role definitely sits above the living wage rate. As a New Zealand owned and operated business we are 100% behind ensuring full labour law compliance and great working conditions for all of our team, as well as ensuring a sustainable approach to our production practices.’ This, again, implies that not all roles are living wage, but some will be.
I have received messages from past employees explaining how they would not recommend Kilt and left because of worker mistreatment.
Production
All garments are designed in Napier and made in New Zealand.
Kilt opened its own factory 'Made It Here' in 2015 but also uses CMT (Cut Make Trim) factories based in Auckland, Hamilton, and other smaller regions.
The chosen fabrics are sent to Auckland along with the pattern and final sample to be cut and sorted into colour and size bundles. These are then sewn in New Zealand.
Waste Efforts
Kilt uses its fabric off-cuts to create NZ Made Tote Bags. All proceeds from the sales of the bags go to planting Native Trees in NZ via Trees That Count.
Like many online New Zealand clothing brands, garments are posted to customers in home compostable mailers.
No plastic swing tags & no plastic bags are used.
Materials
Materials used: Polyester. Wool. Linen. Cotton. Viscose. Merino.
“We use a combination of ZQ and RWS certified 100% merino. Both of these certifications ensure ethical and sustainable practices”.
No mention of sustainability or environmental accreditations when it comes to MOST of their material (only the merino has accreditations) the only two quotes about this are as follows: 'Unfortunately, the material that we purchase is not NZ made due to availability with the required quantities that we produce. We wish NZ made textiles were more readily available.'
Quote from COC (FABRICS, CODE OF CONDUCT AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY) ‘We source our materials from a variety of reputable companies throughout NZ and globally. Unfortunately, the material that we purchase is not NZ made due to availability with the required quantities that we produce. We wish NZ made textiles were more readily available, as we love to support locals!’ Apart from the fact that the materials are not made in Aotearoa New Zealand (which is understandable as we don’t make much fabric here at all), there is no mention of where materials are sourced or accreditations for how they are sourced and the working conditions aside from the Merino.
Again, it’s up to you what you do with this information. It’s obvious Kilt is trying hard to push their NZ made clothing status, but the information they provide is not living up to their claims or allowing them to sit comfortably under the ‘ethical fashion’ umbrella.
Many NZ fashion brands fall under the sustainable fashion category without deserving it. It’s up to us, the consumers, to use critical thinking to properly shop with our values.
Use my list of questions to help you:
Where are all your products/materials sourced from and how are they produced (details of each material type if there are multiple)?- E.g. countries, certifications, including swing tags, packaging etc.
Where do your products end up at the end of their life? How can they be recycled and kept in the resource loop?
How are your products shipped to customers?- e.g. packaging and carbon neutral shipping.
What is the NZ shipping cost & where in the world do you ship?
Who makes your products? (as specific as possible please)
How do you ensure the people who make your products are paid a fair wage?
Aside from the people who make your products, tell me about your team culture and how your head office/staff are treated. E.g. living wages, bonuses, staff wellbeing.
What do you do with returns/samples/unsellable items?
How do you foster diversity and equity in your business? - practical examples please. e.g. diversity of models/staff etc.
