Garment worker exploitation is often associated with crowded factories in low-income countries — but harsh working conditions and human rights violations also exist behind closed apartment doors in countries like Australia.
What's happening?
Australian Broadcasting Corporation News reported Nguyet Vu is one of thousands of immigrant workers who have been — or continue to be — exploited by the fashion industry. Recently speaking at Sydney's Generation Woman event, Vu shared her story of fleeing Vietnam in the 1980s and resettling in Australia. A former bookkeeper, she was forced to change careers after immigrating.
"My cousin suggested I try sewing from home," Vu said at the event, per ABC News. "I started with small jobs for contractors. My skills were basic, and I made mistakes."
Vu said she would work up to 12 hours a day, sometimes earning as little as $100 a week.
Speaking with ABC News, Rachel Reilly, national manager at Ethical Clothing Australia, said worker exploitation is common among "outworkers" — or garment workers who often work in their own homes. These workers, Reilly said, are generally mature migrant women working from home under informal arrangements that offer little protection or oversight. Fashion's complex supply chain makes it difficult to trace these workers, rendering them nearly invisible.
"These kinds of conditions create the ripe environment for exploitation to occur," Reilly told ABC News.
The problem isn't just isolated to fast fashion, though it is notoriously prevalent in low-quality, high-quantity brands. Luxury labels and boutique designers can also rely on exploited outworkers, proving that high price tags don't always guarantee ethical production.
"Outworkers will walk past expensive shops in Australia that are selling garments for $500 [or] $1,000 and they're like, 'Oh yeah, I made that,'" Reilly told ABC News. "They're being paid $10 an hour, and that garment's being sold for a significant amount."
Why is outworker exploitation important?
Given the common criticism of fast fashion, it's well known that the fashion industry comes with a high human cost. Because fast-fashion garments are made to deteriorate quickly, the industry also massively contributes to rising global temperatures, as huge amounts of these garments crowd our landfills.
While garment worker exploitation is often associated with low-income countries, the experience of migrant garment workers in Australia shows that similar human rights violations exist in Western nations, with workers enduring long hours and low pay.
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Giving me money back 💰 Fast fashion is often blamed for both environmental damage and worker exploitation — but the reality is more complex. Even brands marketed as "sustainable" can be linked to unethical labor practices, especially when their supply chains remain opaque. Choosing a fabric made from recycled materials doesn't necessarily mean the person sewing the garment was paid — or treated — fairly.
The experience of outworkers highlights the need for more supply chain transparency and accountability, including clearer regulations and proper oversight.
What's being done about worker exploitation in fashion?
Ethical Clothing Australia is helping to accredit businesses that pay lawful wages and meet fair work standards in the country. While this helps consumers identify ethical brands, only about 120 companies are currently certified. Reilly told ABC News that there are "probably quadruple" that number of Australian businesses that would be eligible for certification.
Advocates encourage consumers to look for the ECA label on clothing and support accredited brands, emphasizing that transparency and ethical compliance are essential to protecting vulnerable workers in Australia's fashion industry.
"It's the only real way that you can get that far down that cascading supply chain to an outworker to make sure that they are being adequately supported," Reilly told ABC News.
She added, "And really, it's good for business. Embedding ethics and the proper legal frameworks into your business model is only going to be beneficial in the long run."
Meanwhile, lawmakers and fashion industry leaders are gradually implementing new laws and voluntary standards to protect garment workers. But progress is inconsistent, and enforcement often falls short.
You still have power as a consumer — and monitoring your own fashion consumption is key. Be sure to research the brands you shop with, looking for transparent supply chains and ethical practices. If sustainable brands are a little out of your price range, secondhand shopping is an affordable alternative. Whether you're browsing local thrift stores or shopping resale platforms like ThredUp, buying pre-loved clothes helps cut costs and reduces the environmental and human toll of clothing production.
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