The Social Outfit

What The Social Outfit does

The Social Outfit is an Australian registered charity and certified Social Enterprise founded in 2014 and headquartered in Newtown, Sydney, that operates an integrated fashion manufacturing and retail business to deliver training and employment programs for refugee and new migrant women. Its core operations span a workroom and production studio at 65 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, where garments are manufactured from donated deadstock fabrics, and a physical retail store at 188 King Street, Newtown, supported by a Shopify-based e-commerce storefront. The product portfolio includes women's ready-to-wear (dresses, tops, pants, skirts, outerwear), accessories (jewellery, bags, belts, scarves), stationery, and gift vouchers, with a Community Print Archive of 40+ exclusive prints developed through collaborative workshops with artists and refugee women.

The business operates a hybrid revenue model combining DTC fashion retail sales (priced from approximately AUD $20 to $850 per item), third-party ethical contract manufacturing services for external fashion brands, charitable donations, and grant funding from federal and state government bodies plus private philanthropic foundations. Programs include industrial sewing training with TAFE NSW, an Earn and Learn paid work experience pathway, and retail traineeships funded by the Department of Home Affairs. Since founding, the organization reports 150+ jobs created, $2M+ in fair wages paid, and 1,500+ individuals trained, with a partnership network spanning 50+ fashion industry donors and 30+ community organizations.

Technology infrastructure is non-differentiated, comprising standard Shopify e-commerce and PayPal payment processing with no public API, proprietary AI systems, or platform extensibility. Core differentiation rests on the integrated training-to-employment ecosystem, the regulatory status as a registered charity with DGR-1 designation, and unique content assets in the form of community-designed prints. Brand visibility is anchored by editorial coverage in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Network 10, and Netflix.

Name

The Social Outfit

Legal name

The Social Outfit

Website

https://thesocialoutfit.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Social Outfit is an Australian registered charity and certified Social Enterprise that manufactures and retails ethical fashion from donated deadstock fabrics in Sydney, providing training and employment programs for refugee and new migrant women through its workroom, retail store, and community partner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ethical Fashion Manufacturing and Retail

NAICS

Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing (3152), Apparel Manufacturing (315), Apparel Knitting Mills (31512)

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300), Retail-Women's Clothing Stores (5621), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Knit Outerwear Mills (2253)

akta.pro primary industry

Dresses, Skirts & Tailored Apparel Cut & Sew (Suits/Formalwear) (IMAOAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Seam, Tear & Rip Repair / Reinforcement (HSAJAFAG)

Keywords

• Ethical fashion retail
• Deadstock garment manufacturing
• Refugee employment programs
• Social enterprise clothing
• Sustainable apparel production

Headquarters

HQ city

Newtown

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Fashion Sales: Sale of ethically made clothing and accessories through online store and physical retail location. Products include dresses, tops, pants, skirts, outerwear, jewellery, bags, belts, scarves, and stationery. Pricing ranges from approximately $20-$850 AUD per item.
2. Gift Vouchers: Digital gift vouchers available in denominations from $10 to $500, valid for 1 year after purchase. Redeemable at both retail store and online.
3. Manufacturing Services: Third-party ethical manufacturing services providing sew-press-trim production capability for external fashion brands and designers, supporting employment of refugee and new migrant communities.
4. Donations: Charitable donations accepted to support training programs, jobs, and community for refugee and migrant women.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Social Outfit designs, manufactures, and retails an in-house line of ethical women's apparel and accessories made locally in its Sydney workroom from donated deadstock fabrics, sold through a Shopify e-commerce site and a physical store in Newtown. As a registered charity and certified Social Enterprise, it concurrently runs TAFE NSW-accredited industrial sewing training, earn-and-learn, and retail traineeship programs for refugee and new migrant women, and offers third-party sew-press-trim contract manufacturing services to Australian fashion brands.

Product overview

The Social Outfit is an Australian registered charity and certified social enterprise operating an e-commerce fashion marketplace that sells ethically manufactured clothing and accessories. The core product portfolio includes women's garments (dresses, tops, pants, skirts, outerwear) made locally in Sydney from donated deadstock fabrics, alongside curated accessories (jewellery, bags, belts, scarves) sourced from partner organizations like Tabitha Foundation and Quazi Design. The platform also offers gift vouchers, stationery with community prints, and supports community programs including industrial sewing training, Earn and Learn sewing programs, and retail traineeships for refugee and migrant women. A third-party manufacturing service is available for industry partners. The company was founded in 2014 and operates from Sydney, Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Women's Clothing (Dresses, Tops, Pants, Skirts, Outerwear) Ethically manufactured women's ready-to-wear garments including dresses, jumpsuits, blouses, shirts, knitwear, trousers, skirts, jackets, coats, and anoraks, made locally in Sydney from donated deadstock fabrics in sizes ranging from 2XS to 4XL. Targeted at conscious Australian fashion consumers.
• Jewellery Handcrafted jewellery including silk long-strand and single-strand necklaces sourced from Tabitha Foundation and Quazi Design, plus earrings in designs like Gold Fan, Grey Lifu Layered, and Ayanda, retailed through the online store and Newtown shop.
• Bags & Purses Accessories including spliced leather clutches, foldover purses, bumbags, and tote bags featuring artist-designed community prints such as Storyteller and Amplify, sold through the online store.
• Belts Elastic and fabric belts in various prints and colours including Moroccan Stripe, Sparkle Stripe, and checkerboard designs, sold as part of the accessories collection.
• Scarves & Scrunchies Silk accessories including skinny and square scarves in designs like Nour and Fariba's Triangles, plus fabric scrunchies featuring community prints.
• Stationery Greeting cards and notebooks featuring community and artist-designed prints including Nour, Reflections, Storyteller, Amplify, and Nexus designs.
• Gift Vouchers Digital gift vouchers available in denominations from $10 to $500 AUD, valid for one year after purchase, redeemable at the Newtown retail store and online store.
• Industrial Sewing Training TAFE NSW-accredited industrial sewing machine training program delivered with TAFE NSW for women with Refugee, Humanitarian, or Bridging Visas or new migrant backgrounds. Thursday classes including work experience at the Marrickville workroom.
• Earn and Learn Sewing Program Paid work experience program for women who completed Industrial Sewing Training, comprising 2 weeks training followed by 6 weeks paid work experience manufacturing products for the store.
• Retail Traineeships 10-week retail training program for young refugee women aged 18-29, including 50 hours of training, paid work experience at the Newtown store, and mentoring sessions. Funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs.
• Third-party Manufacturing Services Ethical contract manufacturing service providing sew-press-trim production capability at the Marrickville workroom for external fashion brands and designers, supporting employment of refugee and new migrant communities.
• Partner Brand Accessories Accessories sourced from partner social enterprises including Billiano Flower Pendant necklaces and Casa Bonita handwoven Iraca Palm earrings, sold through the accessories collection.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150+ jobs created for refugee and migrant women since 2014
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SSI (Settlement Services International)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for settlement services. Collaborates on training and employment programs for refugees.
• JRS (Jesuit Refugee Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing refugee support services.
• House of WelcomecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organisation supporting refugees and migrants.
• Dress for Success SydneycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in retail training program delivery and employment support.
• TAFE NSWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for industrial sewing training programs. TAFE NSW provides accreditation and career pathway support.
• Bianca SpendercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrand Ambassador and fashion industry partner. Donates fabric for clothing production and collaborates on design.
• ZimmermanncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian fashion label donating fabric remnants and supporting textile waste reduction.
• Camilla & MarccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFashion brand partner donating fabric and supporting community programs.
• Ginger & SmartcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFashion label partner contributing fabric donations and design support.
• Wendy SharpecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSydney artist collaborating on limited edition prints. Created 'Girl's Night Out' artwork for exclusive jacket collection.
• Ken DonecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian artist donating patterns and textile art prints for community programs.
• Publisher TextilescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal screen printing partner for fabric prints. Collaborates on community print production.
• Romance Was BorncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFashion label collaborating on archival print re-releases and creative projects.
• The Social StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAligned social enterprise in the fashion industry. Collaborates on community projects and shared mission.
• Story FactorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative writing organisation collaborating on community print projects with schools.
• Citizen WolfminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFashion brand providing fabric donations and supporting ethical fashion ecosystem.
• Linda JacksoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian artist volunteering as teaching designer for community programs.
• STARTTScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerService for torturetrauma survivors providing support and referrals to training programs.
• AtlassianminorOthersTechnology company providing pro bono software and support services.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Citizen Wolf:
• The Social Studio: Melbourne-based social enterprise producing ethical fashion and providing training and employment for refugee and new migrant communities. Explicitly listed as a strategic collaborator of The Social Outfit and operates an essentially identical social-enterprise fashion model in Australia.
• Made Trade: Online ethical-fashion marketplace curating sustainable and fair-trade apparel and accessories from multiple brands. Comparable mission-driven multi-category ethical-fashion DTC model, though operating as a multi-brand retailer rather than manufacturer.

Broad incumbents

• Patagonia: Global apparel incumbent and category-defining sustainable fashion brand. Competes in the conscious-consumer segment with broader product range, larger scale, and well-developed circularity and supply-chain transparency programs.
• Eileen Fisher: US-based women's apparel brand known for sustainability, take-back/resale programs (Renew), and minimal-waste design. Overlaps with The Social Outfit on ethical womenswear and circular-textile positioning at much greater scale.
• Reformation: US-based sustainable fashion brand marketing deadstock and lower-impact fabrics to conscious consumers. Direct overlap with The Social Outfit's deadstock-fabric and ethical-production narrative, but at significantly larger scale and price-point range.
• People Tree: UK-based fair-trade and sustainable fashion pioneer working with artisan and marginalized producer groups globally. Comparable mission-led model producing ethically made women's apparel and accessories for conscious consumers.

Emerging players

• Tonlé: US-based ethical fashion brand using reclaimed and scrap fabrics with fair-wage production in Cambodia. Smaller scale than Reformation but strong overlap on deadstock repurposing and ethical-manufacturing storytelling.
• Kotn: Canadian ethical apparel brand sourcing cotton directly from Egyptian farmers with a transparency and impact-led brand narrative. Comparable direct-to-consumer ethical-fashion positioning targeting conscious millennial and Gen Z consumers.
• Romance Was Born: Australian independent fashion label known for bold prints and artist collaborations. Listed as a strategic collaborator (archival print re-releases with The Social Outfit), and comparable as an Australian print-led womenswear brand engaging community and artist partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Social Outfit