City Chic Collective

OVERALL
Owned	AUS
Rating

Women's clothing retail

Previously known as Specialty Fashion Group, which was Australia's largest women's apparel retail group. Acquired Rivers in Nov 2013, their first venture into unisex retail. Sold the Millers, Katies, Crossroads, Autograph and Rivers brands to Noni B Group (now Mosaic Brands) for $31 million in 2018. This company retained the City Chic brand only, but has since bought a number of brands in the UK and USA including Evans and Avenue.

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Company Assessment

PRAISE	CRITICISM	INFORMATION
City Chic Collective Ltd
Bangladesh Safety Accord signatory This company has signed the 'Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh', a program endorsed by Bangladeshi and international unions and labor rights organizations. The ground-breaking program includes independent safety inspections with public reports, mandatory factory building renovations, the obligation by brands and retailers to underwrite the cost of repairs, and a vital role for workers and their unions – all in a legally-binding, enforceable agreement. Source: Bangladesh Accord (2019) B+ grade in 2019 Ethical Fashion Report B+ grade in the Baptist World Aid Australia's 'Ethical Fashion Report 2019', which grades companies, from A to F, on the strength of their systems to mitigate against the risks of forced labour, child labour and worker exploitation in their supply chains, as well as protect the environment from the harmful impacts of the fashion industry. Assessment criteria fall into five main categories: policies, transparency and traceability, auditing and supplier relationships, worker empowerment and environmental management. Source: Baptist World Aid Australia (2019) COVID Fashion Commitments In 2020 Baptist World Aid Australia released The COVID Fashion Report, a special edition of their Ethical Fashion Report. The report is framed around six COVID Fashion Commitments that ask companies to demonstrate the steps and measures they are taking to protect and support the most vulnerable workers in their supply chains. This company showed evidence of actions that cover ALL areas of the COVID Fashion Commitments. Source: Baptist World Aid Australia (2020) Efforts to pay a living wage Oxfam Australia's Company Tracker compares the big clothing brands on their efforts to pay a living wage to the women working in their factories. This company has released the names and addresses of at least 70% of their supplier factories, and has taken some action towards paying a living wage within a set timeframe in the supply chain. Source: Oxfam Australia (2019)		Breaching advertising codes This company has been criticised for offensive advertising. In 2016 the Advertising Standards Bureau upheld complaints about a City Chic store window video ad by this company on the grounds that it breached advertising codes. The ad was subsequently discontinued or modified. Source: Advertising Standards Bureau (2016) Rejecting Burma In Oct 2009, as a result of Burma Campaign Australia's 'Don't Deal with Burma' campaign, Specialty Fashion Group committed to stop sourcing products from Burma and dealing with companies that trade in Burma. Source: Burma Campaign Australia (2009) Angora ban This company has taken angora items off the shelves and promised not to use angora again, following a PETA campaign launched in Dec 2013 which revealed the cruelty inflicted on angora rabbits in Chinese factory farms, where 90% of the world's angora is produced. Source: PETA (2018) Supplier Factory Disclosure List This company is one of of a handful of major Australian fashion retailers to publish the names and addresses of their supplier factories. Source: company website (2016) Ethical trade claims This company has CSR claims on its website in the areas of ethical trade, sourcing policies, product safety, packaging and supply chain transparency. Source: company website (2016) Make Fashion Traffik Free Protocol signatory This company has signed the Make Fashion Traffik Free Protocol, an initiative of Stop the Traffik Australia. Fashion companies that sign the Protocol commit to fully tracing their supply chain and to work to ensuring better working conditions. Source: Stop the Traffik Australia (2016) Victim of fraud In 2010 SFG's head of property, Simon Feldman, was charged with 226 counts of fraud. The NSW Supreme Court was told Feldman siphoned most of a missing $16.7 million to "prop up" three private businesses he ran with Richard Bamford. Source: news article (2011)

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