As Black Friday and the holiday shopping season approach, Oxfam Australia is calling out major Australian fashion brands that raked in over $1 billion in revenue last year while garment workers who produce their clothing remain underpaid.
According to Oxfam analysis, Kmart Group, Big W, Cotton On, Rip Curl and Kathmandu owner KMD, Myer, and Bonds parent company Hanes all made over $1 billion in 2022-2023, yet still don’t pay living wages to the women working in their supply chains.
Oxfam’s analysis reveals:
- Kmart Group earned $10.6 billion in revenue last year, yet workers in Bangladeshi factories producing Kmart apparel are paid as little as $6 per day.
- Big W recorded $4.8 billion in sales, its fourth consecutive year surpassing $4 billion
- Cotton On has consistently made over $1.5 billion in sales annually since 2015
Oxfam is intensifying its demand for these profitable brands, and others on their Company Tracker, to expediate paying workers a living wage. Despite seven years of Oxfam’s advocacy through its What She Makes campaign, many brands still fail to pay workers enough to live on.
Oxfam Australia’s Chief Executive, Lyn Morgain, condemned the inequalities in the fashion industry, pointing to the vast revenues of some of Australia’s most popular fashion brands compared to the poverty-level wages paid to their garment workers.
“Inequality is stark in the fashion industry. Oxfam’s analysis reveals a profound injustice—while brands sales soar, the women who make their clothes often live in poverty, many being paid as little as $6 a day,” said Ms. Morgain.
“The fashion industry is built on entrenched exploitation. With Black Friday and the holiday season approaching, brands have a critical opportunity to start paying workers a living wage for their labor. This is a vital step in addressing the systemic inequalities that perpetuate poverty.
“The women who make our clothes have waited long enough. Consumers have the right to know their money supports brands that treat workers fairly,” she added.
Last month, Oxfam congratulated Lorna Jane for being the first brand in the history of its What She Makes campaign to pay a living wage to all garment workers at their one apparel factory. This win has shown that paying a living wage is not only possible, it’s essential.
Oxfam Australia emphasises that these brands, benefiting from significant revenue, must rapidly accelerate their journey towards living wages for garment workers in their supply chains.
For interviews, please contact Lucy Brown at lucyb@oxfam.org.au or 0478 190 099.
Notes to Editor
Statements are based on company data available from IBISWorld, an industry research provider. IBISWorld collects their Australian data from publicly available sources, such as company Annual Reports, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, sector-level data from industry federations and regulators, as well as real-world advice, feedback and updates on operating conditions from contacts in relevant industries.
For brands that are the subsidiaries of parent companies, revenue figures were sourced from parent company annual reports. If the parent company is based outside of Australia, currency amounts were converted to AUD using average annual exchange rates recorded by the Reserve Bank of Australia.
