Made in Melbourne, Australia
We’re passionate about local manufacturing, the people behind it and our role in it. That’s why producing the majority of the Variety Hour range in Australia is a core part of our ethos, and has been ever since we started making back in 2016. We have an ongoing commitment to support the Australian manufacturing industry in the best way we can, working closely with our amazing partner LCN Fashions, who work from Sunshine in Melbourne's West. Our highly skilled Australian workers are paid award wage plus all benefits such as super and are given a safe working environment.
Local manufacturing is important to us as it supports a healthy local economy, creates valuable employment especially in a women dominated industry, fosters our local textile industry that has struggled for many decades, less packaging is used and pollution and factories are held accountable to the strict workplace laws here in Australia.
We get help form our overseas supplier Miracle Textiles for items that are difficult to manufacture locally like jumpsuits, elaborate dresses with high fabric usage or items with a drawstring. The factory we work with is a small enterprise of 30 skilled craftspeople, who specialise in bespoke production runs of 50, and work specifically with Australian clients like us. They are paid a living wage which is 5x the minimum wage in China.
This is a well managed specialty studio that works with smaller minimums and strives to make a great quality product. They foster employee relationships, a safe clean working environment, optional overtime and are paid holidays. This is our only overseas manufacturer and we have been working together since 2020.
This studio is visited regularly by an Australian agent and audited yearly. Their last SMETA Ethical Trade Audit Report was done in August 2023 and can be viewed on their website.
Our design, pattern-making and sampling development is done in Melbourne.
