People Aren’t Impressed With This Fashion Company’s Latest Campaign

"I feel like I'm paying a lot of money for a product that isn't paying their employees right."

Australian fashion label Gorman has launched a new social media campaign involving its Chinese factory workers, and people are not at all impressed.

Instagram: @gormanclothing

The campaign riffs off the already popular hashtag #WhoMadeMyClothes and profiles workers in factories that supply clothing to Gorman.

"Hi, I'm Liao," reads the caption for the first post. "A knitter at C.Partners factory in China. I have been working here for six years. I love Gorman's knit designs, especially the colours."

Gorman then mentions its "pride" in the ethically sourced, non-mulesed merino knits Liao and his team have produced.

The #WhoMadeMyClothes photo did not get a positive reaction, with the post garnering hundreds of negative comments.

Instagram: @https://www.instagram.com/gormanclothing/?hl=en

Instagram: @https://www.instagram.com/gormanclothing/?hl=en

Instagram: @https://www.instagram.com/gormanclothing/?hl=en

Instagram: @https://www.instagram.com/gormanclothing/?hl=en

Instagram: @https://www.instagram.com/gormanclothing/?hl=en

A petition also has been started to "ensure the fashion label Gorman is using ethical manufacturing processes".

change.org

More than 1,000 people have signed the petition on Change.org so far, with comments expressing disappointment in the cult brand's alleged failure to properly look after its workers.

Gorman's parent company, Factory X, received straight F's in the Baptist World Aid Australian 2016 Fashion Report last week, which measures companies on what they're doing to combat child labour, forced labour, and exploitation. Gorman has since rejected the report, saying it did not reply to Baptist Aid's requests and as such received an F rating.

Instagram: @gormanclothing

"As a company we have decided to join the fashion revolution campaign #WhoMadeMyClothes. It is geared to providing more transparency in the fashion industry," a spokesperson for Gorman said. "Our commitment to participate in this was made weeks ago."

"Regarding the Baptist Aid survey, we elected not to be affiliated with the Baptist World Aid organisation, not knowing their real process."

"The F grading was a failure to reply, not a failure to comply. Our customers have been misled."

Ethical Clothing Australia said the discussion on Gorman's latest campaign had highlighted the public's growing interest in ethical production and supply chain transparency.

"It also reinforces the need for brands to take credible steps to ensure workers in their supply chains are treated fairly and working in safe conditions," said a spokesperson. "ECA would like to see more brands, like those currently accredited, embracing third-party compliance as a way of guaranteeing the claims that they are making to customers are legitimate."

Lisa Gorman, the founder of Gorman, told BuzzFeed News the company would be publishing audits online "in the coming months".

Gaye Gerard / Getty Images

"We have a social and ethical policy in place which must be adhered to by the factories that manufacture Gorman," she said.

"In the coming months we will be publishing our audits online. It is clear that this is what our customer wants most, and we are happy to provide this."

A spokesperson for Baptist World Aid Australia said it hoped Factory X would engage with them in the report next year.

"Eighty percent of companies disclose with us, and we find that companies that aren't open with us haven't invested properly with their workers," he said. "For us, if companies don't let people know what they're doing, then how can we know for sure their work environment is up to standard?"

"Hopefully [Gorman does] engage with us next year, and then we can tell more positive stories."