Last Updated:ย October 2026
Sustainability
People
Behind every piece is a person.
The fashion industry carries a real risk of modern slavery, and we take our part in stopping it seriously. Since 2010 we've built KILLSTAR on doing things differently, and that includes how we treat the people who make our products and the people who work for us.
Vetting every factory before we work with them
Every factory that makes our finished products is vetted and onboarded by our in-house Compliance team before any work begins. Our Social Compliance Technologist reviews each factory's audit reports in detail. They check working conditions, any areas of non-conformance, location, and whether the report is authentic. Every partner signs our sourcing agreement and vendor guidelines. We only work with facilities that treat their employees well and follow local laws.
Seeing it for ourselves
We regularly visit our suppliers' factories, especially when we start working with someone new. Visits let us see working conditions first-hand and meet workers at every level, not just management. We check for proper rest facilities and safety measures, and we confirm there is no child or forced labour. We've also met suppliers who go further for their teams, providing free meals, transport and even housing.
Ongoing checks
Every supplier has a risk score from 1 (low) to 5 (high). The score is based on location, audit type and any corrective actions identified, and we manage those actions with each supplier. All our departments also review every supplier together once a year. We regularly check that none of our current or prospective vendors appear on the US Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List.
Beyond the factory floor
We also work with other service providers, such as modelling agencies, recycling and waste companies, and digital platforms. We're introducing a Modern Slavery Agreement that asks each of them to confirm they treat their staff fairly.
Our own team
Our team of more than 70 people, headquartered in Brighton, is supported by over 30 people policies, including Whistleblowing, Equal Opportunities, Anti-Bribery, Wellbeing and Modern Slavery policies. We review these every year. Our Compliance team gives staff quarterly briefings on modern slavery risks and new legislation. Modern Slavery Act training is the first programme on our new learning platform.
We're proud members of the UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT). Through it we get industry guidance and training on labour standards.
Product
Know where your favourites come from.
Where we make
We currently work with 54 vetted factories and sourcing partners:
โก China โ 42
โก India โ 9
โก Vietnam โ 2
โก UK โ 1
Another 12 suppliers in Turkey and India are going through our vetting process. Over the past few years we've worked to spread production beyond China, adding new partners in Vietnam and India and expanding into Turkey.
Tracing our cotton
Cotton farming carries a known risk of forced labour, so we look beyond our own factories. Our suppliers must provide paperwork, including invoices and shipping documents, that traces the cotton in our products from raw fibre to finished fabric.
Mapping our supply chain
We use Retraced, a supply chain compliance platform, to manage every supplier relationship in one secure place. We're now mapping beyond our main factories to the mills, dye houses and trim makers they rely on. From 2026, all our trims, such as labels and tags, will come from Weavabel, whose own supply chain is already mapped on the same platform.
Digital Product Passports
We're preparing for Digital Product Passports, a digital record that links each product back to where and how it was made. We plan to trial them ahead of the EU requirements expected from 2027. In time, this will give you more visibility into the story behind your piece.
Planet
Looking after what we leave behind.
Our supply chain affects more than people. We're working to understand our environmental impact across it.
Packaging with less impact
Our polybags, which protect each product in transit, are made with recycled plastic content. This reduces the amount of new plastic we use. We're also moving our shipping cartons to FSC-certified cardboard, which comes from responsibly managed forests.
Assessing environmental risk
We assess risk at every stage of the supply chain. Environmental and chemical impacts are greatest in the earlier stages, such as textile mills, dye houses, yarn processing and raw material farming. Mapping these stages through our traceability work helps us see where the impacts are.
Responsible partners
We work with specialist recycling and waste management partners to handle waste responsibly. These partners will also sign our Modern Slavery Agreement.
Transparency first
Supply chain mapping and Digital Product Passports are the foundation for measuring and reporting our environmental impact honestly. We'll share more as this work develops.