About
Our brand was born from a desire to address the unspoken truths of the fashion industry—not to hide them, but to celebrate them. Everyone knows the fashion world is built on exploitation. It’s an open secret, woven into every stitch of every garment, yet fashion houses continue to feign ignorance. They deny it, distance themselves from it, or act shocked when it’s exposed in their supply chains. At Ethical Sweatshop, we take a different approach. We lean in.
Our goal is simple: radical accountability. We don’t just acknowledge sweatshop labour; we elevate it.
Our mission is to bring the unseen to the forefront of culture, art, and our wardrobes. I feel forever indebted to those who shaped this industry—particularly those who labour without recognition. At Ethical Sweatshop, we bring their efforts into the spotlight, while paying respect to its place in our culture. We want to remind the world that every stitch tells a story; that beneath every hemline is a history of human hands shaping fabric into form.
Through Ethical Sweatshop, we’ve created the first fully legal child sweatshop in the UK in over a century, achieved through an employment loophole. By employing them as licensed performers in a filmed piece about sweatshop labour practices, and then selling the clothes they manufacture, we’re able to welcome children back to Britain’s workforce, to reclaim the vital position in our garment industry they once held.
It’s crucial that transparency guides every step of the production process, from who we employ to how we market ourselves.
For us, sustainability doesn’t just mean eco-conscious materials; it means sustainable profit margins. Our collections explore the idea of sweatshop labour—not as a hidden mechanism but as an aesthetic unto itself.
We embrace exploitation as part of our narrative.
We’re inspired by what the industry truly values: cheap labour, quick turnover, and plausible deniability. Each garment is a testament to the art of getting away with it; a collaborative effort between young hands and older heads, uniting generations in the art of commerce. The uneven stitching, the playful mistakes—they’re not flaws; they’re features.
Our young workforce is involved in every step of the process, from design to manufacturing and shipping. And we keep all of the money.
Fashion, at its best, is provocative. We believe in making clothing that doesn’t just fit the body, but challenges the mind. Our pieces invite the wearer to confront the realities of production and question their own complicity—all the while looking beautiful.
Ethical Sweatshop is more than clothing; it’s a conversation. It’s an invitation to rethink what fashion really stands for. By stripping away the artifice, we’re left with something raw, honest, and undeniably stylish. We are proud to say:
Our clothes are created by kids.