Australian Made Collection
Here at Ridgeline, we decided that it was time to draw close and support local businesses. We reached out and partnered with a local factory to produce our first Australian-made collection. These tees and hoodies have been lovingly created using Australian knitted and dyed fabric to bring you the best quality garments around.
Meet our makers
Established way back in 1978, our manufacturer is proudly 100% Australia, with all garments produced in-house at their Melbourne factory. Their passion for local production has made them the birthplace of many well-known clothing brands.
Because our garments are all produced in-house, Ridgeline is confident that extra care is taken in every step of the production process, from the selection of the fabric to make sure that it is breathable, durable [and] comfortable, right through to quality control at the very end.
- Matt, General Manager
The manufacturing process
Our soft and breathable Australian-made tees and hoodies are both knitted and dyed in Australia from locally sourced fabrics. We use a cotton/polyester blend for the hoodies and 180gsm 100% cotton for the tees. This fabric is turned into garments, by the skill of operators, with special care taken in the construction of each garment to ensure a lifetime of wear. The garments are finally sent to a local screen printer to ensure that the screen print lasts a lifetime.
Ethical working conditions
We care about our product and we also care about the conditions under which they’re produced. It’s for this reason that we also chose to partner with the Australian clothing manufacturer we did. They are accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia, meaning that all their garment workers receive fair pay and working conditions.
Why is Australian made important?
The Australian textile industry has had a tough time in the last decade as increasing globalisation has seen many companies outsourcing their manufacturing overseas to cut down on costs. But when COVID-19 hit, it became evident that we needed to refocus our attention to support the Australian economy and protect the businesses keeping Australians employed. Apart from keeping Aussies in work, there are 3 big reasons why going local is great for everyone:
Australia has a great reputation for manufacturing very high-quality products Manufacturing local is more sustainable because it cuts down on freighting (and therefore carbonemissions), and because the Australian manufacturing industry has strict environmental protection policies COVID-19 majorly disrupted global logistics: cancelled container vessels, closed borders, disrupted supply chains, port strikes, reduced air freight capacity, lockdowns causing a dramatic surge in online ordering...keeping manufacturing local ensures that we have good supply lines and infrastructure when we need it, keeping products in stock and ready to ship.
