Gorman has called out Oxfam on its ‘Naughty or Nice’ list ranking
Not happy Jan.
Earlier this week, Gorman appeared on the wrong side of Oxfam’s Naughty or Nice list. And it’s not at all pleased.
Oxfam published the list in an effort to encourage transparency of production among retailers (more on that here).
Gorman’s parent company, Factory X, received the ‘Naughty’ tag after failing to publish the locations of its garment factories. The brand has responded by issuing a statement online refuting the tag.
“Gorman does not currently publish the details of its manufacturers for commercial reasons, and not for ethical compliance reasons,” it said.
The company states that its manufacturers are the key to Gorman’s “point of difference” in the marketplace, which is why it’s not currently prepared to disclose their details to competitors.
On its website, Gorman has published a social and ethical policy and a rundown of its auditing results, showing efforts to improve worker conditions.
The website also states that Gorman offered Oxfam representatives a list of its suppliers, on the proviso that the information was not published or shared.
Additionally, the brand invited Oxfam representatives to join its factory visits to India and China.
But it seems Gorman cannot cut a break. Earlier this year, customers called for improved transparency after Gorman published a picture of a factory worker with the hashtag #whomademyclothes. Instead of shedding light on his working conditions, the post shared the male worker’s favourite Gorman pieces. It followed the Baptist World Aid Australian 2016 Fashion Report, in which Gorman received an ‘F’ rating for refusing to take part.
Gorman claims to have met with representatives from Oxfam to discuss alternatives to supply chain transparency.
“Oxfam has not yet taken on board any of our suggestions, but we look forward to continuing the dialogue in the future.”
Oooooooooh.
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