Our Mission

The Social Outfit is a fashion label with a difference.


Our social enterprise charity provides employment and training to people from refugee and new migrant communities via our ethical manufacturing studio and retail store.

We believe in an Australia where refugees and new migrants are warmly welcomed and settle well, celebrating our diversity, collective skills and strengths.

We build skills in a supportive environment and provide first Australian jobs.

What we do

  • Create jobs and training for refugee and new migrant women.
  • Use deadstock fabrics donated by the fashion industry, reducing waste.
  • Design ethical fashion that celebrates culture and creativity.
  • Sell garments online and in-store to reinvest profits into social impact.

The Social Outfit is a registered Incorporated Association, and recognised as a Public Benevolent Institution Charity. As we hold Deductible Gift Recipient Status, any donation made to us over AU$2.00 is tax deductible. Further, as a trading social enterprise, any income generated from product sales is directed back into the organisation in order to deliver on our social mission. We are registered with, and report regularly to, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). We are also accredited with Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA), and are a Social Traders certified social enterprise.  

Our goal is to manufacture and sell ethical and sustainable quality products that help to financially empower women from refugee and new migrant backgrounds. While doing that, we also aim to provide customers with unique pieces that tell amazing human stories.

More about our social enterprise model

Research shows that there continues to be a critical need to provide alternate methods of training and employment pathways to ensure that people from refugee and new migrant communities have the greatest chance of success as they settle in Sydney.

“There is overwhelming evidence that employment provides the bedrock for successful settlement. The best way to help humanitarian migrants to build flourishing lives is to help them find work.”  (Centre for Policy Development, ‘Settling Better’ Report, 2017)

People from our refugee community often face complex barriers to social inclusion and skills development and employment-focussed social enterprises "Are effective - producing higher and better employment outcomes than mainstream employment services for people experiencing significant disadvantage."  (Westpac Foundation and Centre for Social Impact "Social Enterprise. A people centred approach to employment services." Report, August 2019)

We have 6+ years experience of effectively operating a workplace designed to meet the complex needs faced by people from our refugee communities, when it comes to training, employment and job readiness.

Our model effectively responds to these needs by:

  • Starting from traditional and cultural strengths to build up lasting skills
  • Introducing our refugee and new migrant employees to Australian workplace practices and culture. We educate them on their rights and responsibilities, payslips, contracts, tax and superannuation
  • Building cross-sector partnerships to support employees to transition to ongoing external employment.
  • Trading as social enterprise allowing employees to interface daily with the broader Sydney communities, strengthening social cohesion and building their confidence.
  • Welcoming staff into our multi-generational, multi-cultural and collaborative workplace community.
  • Proudly showcasing the creativity, skills and talents of our refugee and new migrant communities to reflect a hopeful Australian spirit.