We’re always looking for ways to align our work with local businesses that share our values. That’s why we enlisted Assembled Threads, a Melbourne-based social enterprise, to produce our high-visibility vests—ensuring our team wears workwear that reflects our commitment to sustainability, inclusion, and community impact.
Founded in 2021, Assembled Threads is dedicated to revitalising Australia’s garment industry while creating employment opportunities for people from migrant backgrounds facing barriers to work. Launching the business came from a decades-long career in garment production, witnessing firsthand the decline of local manufacturing.
A stitch of inspiration for Founder and CEO Edwina Walsh set things in motion: “The Victorian Government launched their Social Procurement Framework in 2018, and the direction for all uniforms to be locally made. I thought what a game changer this could be for local manufacturing in Victoria, and the impact of purposeful work for those falling outside of the radar of most employers.”
Since then, Assembled Threads has delivered over 33,000 hours of socially inclusive employment training, providing over $875,000 in wages to workers who might otherwise struggle to find stable employment. On top of that, the team has produced more than 22,000 locally made garments and diverted nearly a tonne of textile waste from landfill through recycling efforts.
Kui sewing our new high-vis vests in Assemble Threads’ North Melbourne HQ.
Image by Assemble Threads
These high-vis vests are endorsed by The Carbon Reduction Institute, boasting a 30% decrease in emissions compared to similar vests.
Image by Assemble Threads
Nobu and Suzi with a freshly assembled high-vis vest made from recycled workwear.
Image by Assemble Threads
Assemble Threads supports refugee, asylum seeker, and migrant community members as they rebuild their lives—breaking down employment barriers and building new skillsets.
Image by Assemble ThreadsKui sewing our new high-vis vests in Assemble Threads’ North Melbourne HQ.
Image by Assemble ThreadsThese high-vis vests are endorsed by The Carbon Reduction Institute, boasting a 30% decrease in emissions compared to similar vests.
Image by Assemble ThreadsNobu and Suzi with a freshly assembled high-vis vest made from recycled workwear.
Image by Assemble ThreadsAssemble Threads supports refugee, asylum seeker, and migrant community members as they rebuild their lives—breaking down employment barriers and building new skillsets.
Image by Assemble Threads
Beyond uniforms, Assembled Threads has explored innovative ways to reduce textile waste through a research project with Victoria University and Sustainability Victoria, developing “Tex-crete”—a material that repurposes discarded textiles into sustainable concrete products.
We’re proud to work alongside game-changers like Assembled Threads and in turn support ethical manufacturing, local job creation, and steps towards a more circular and sustainable future—one vest at a time.
Same name, same drive for impact. Head to the Assembled Threads website to see how they’re making a difference.
