In this op-ed, The Social Outfit chair David Hardie shares how the label was pushed from start-up phase into an established operation.
Back in 2014, The Social Outfit opened its doors in King St, Newtown with a CEO, one sewing employee, a part-time retail staff member and some enthusiastic volunteers. Ten years on, it is now a much-admired brand, launching two major collections each year, manufactured by a team of nine refugee women and employing 16 retail trainees each year.
What is so different about this fashion label? The retail and manufacturing structure exists for a social purpose and day-to-day work not only produces collections for The Social Outfit’s retail and other Australian designers, it also aims to remove barriers to training and employment for refugee women.
This means that the design of training programs and the jobs themselves must be fit for purpose – with the needs and aspirations of the refugee community at the centre. It also means that when times are tough, that this label grounds itself in its core values – community, diversity, creativity and empowerment.
For the first five years, The Social Outfit felt like a year-to-year proposition, operating as a start-up with an uncertain future. Like most retailers, the COVID years were a rocky time, but the organisation was able to turn the challenge into opportunity with the manufacturing of face masks. With a 'Buy 1, Give 1' model, The Social Outfit received media attention and as a result sold over 10,000 face masks, directly contributing to training and employment opportunities for program participants in some of Sydney’s most vulnerable communities at the time.
Since, The Social Outfit has subsequently grown its revenue streams by expanding its client manufacturing offering, including delivering a supply contract in collaboration with national workwear and uniforms provider Workwear Group to sew scarves and pocket squares for Westpac staff uniforms. Securing more of these types of larger manufacturing contracts for external clients is a key part of the brand’s growth aspirations – enabling it to employ and upskill more women from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
In July 2024, The Social Outfit was honoured to create a custom suit for Governor-General Sam Mostyn to wear at her swearing-in ceremony. Made for and paid for by Sam Mostyn, the making of the suit supported the upskilling of a team of refugee women working in Sydney. Sam is a long-term customer of The Social Outfit, who frequently calls in to the store in King Street, Newtown to browse the latest collections. Whilst we are grateful to have many professional women form our loyal customer base, up until this point suits were not a part of the label’s offering. As a result of this thoughtful collaboration, and evident in the great care and attention to detail by the production team, subsequent demand has led to The Social Outfit now expanding its range in 2025 to include more workwear items for professional women.
Keeping the community at the centre of our core values has enabled The Social Outfit to achieve steady growth in both its social impact and its retail sales. In its first decade, The Social Outfit has trained over 1000 women in retail and sewing programs and employed 106 individuals from refugee and new migrant backgrounds, from more than 20 countries of origin spanning from Syria to Ukraine and Afghanistan to Burma. Importantly, it represented the first Australian job for 82% of the women employed.
The Social Outfit meets refugee women ‘where they are at’ by partnering with settlement services organisations in Western Sydney to deliver a range of programs to address barriers from social inclusion to employment. These entry-level programs focus on sewing and textile crafts, enabling women to build on their existing skills whilst learning new ones, also strengthening their confidence and social connections and support network. The sewing classes are now taught by Fezeh who herself attended the class when she first arrived in Australia as a refugee.
Participants looking to continue developing their skills and optionally commit to regular work hours can progress through more formal training programs delivered by The Social Outfit in partnership with TAFE, as well as Earn & Learn sewing programs that offer paid work experience for less experienced sewers who want to develop skills using industrial sewing machines. We are delighted to have had and continue to offer opportunities to women to then further progress into ongoing employment within The Social Outfit in sewing and program coordination roles, offering their own experience, learnings and support to further intakes of program participants.
Introduced in 2020, The Social Outfit’s innovative three-month retail training program provides first Australian jobs for younger women and has proven to be a game-changer in accelerating their progress into ongoing employment and training. An Employment Pathways Coordinator supports participants with 1:1 mentoring and referrals to partner services and connections to the next job. To date, 88% of retail trainees have successfully transitioned to ongoing employment and The Social Outfit is always on the lookout for new entry level employment opportunities for the trainees.
Since 2014, The Social Outfit has provided employment opportunities for more than 100 people from over 20 countries of origin. This work is informed every day by their values; Community - Creativity - Empowerment - and Diversity.
David Hardie has been the chair of The Social Outfit since 2012, before its official launch to market.