Hunter Gatherer — A No Sweat Shop
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02.22.06
What a fabulous name for a shop selling salvaged secondhand ‘vintage’ clothing. They carry their own line of manufactured threads in hip retro styles. The 'Hunter Gatherer' labelled clothes were apparently the first in Australia to be adorned with the No Sweat endorsement. It is estimated that 90% of Australian clothing is made by outworkers, of which there could be about 300,000. Such workers outnumber their factory compadres by about 14-15 to one, working for only $2-3 AUD/hr. As the parent of Hunter Gatherer, The Brotherhood of St Laurence has been focussed on human welfare since earlier last century. So when they got into clothing manufacture, they ensured their products didn’t take any liberities on the way to the shopfront. (Other international Australian labels such as Billabong and Collette Dinnigan are also now accredited with the 'No SweatShop Label', for their Australian manufacturing). Hunter Gatherer sells accessories that comply with the same standards, as well. ::Hunter Gatherer, via the Sustainable Living Festival list of exhibitors.
I was recently in Australia, and while there found it nearly impossible to buy items made from within the country. Even along Brunswick Street (in Melbourne), known for its small boutiques carrying indie designers, I barely found anything made outside of China. Hunter Gatherer was a refreshing change from the rest.