Seed Heritage
Clothing retailer
Founded in Melbourne in 2000. Owned by the Lew family.

Overall

Owned AUS
Rating F
About the Ratings

Company Ownership

Steambrook Pty Ltd
AUS
BrandBank Group Pty Ltd
owns 100% of Steambrook Pty Ltd
AUS
Clothing retail
Owned by Peter Lew, son of Australian retail magnate, Solomon Lew. Operates Seed Heritage, French Connection, Allkinds and Commonry stores in Australia. Acquired stationery retailer Kikki.K in 2021.
Lew Group
owns 100% of BrandBank Group Pty Ltd
AUS
Investment conglomerate
The Lew family, headed by rag trade tycoon Solomon Lew, owns a swag of Australian clothing retail companies. While Solomon owns Voyager Distributing Co and 42% of Just Group, his three children each control parts of the Lew empire. Peter Lew manages Australian Retail Investments and the Australian licenses for Zara and FCUK, Steven Lew manages Playcorp and Global Retail Brands, while Jacqueline Lew manages Nine West.

Company Assessment

(Last updated Sep 2024)
Steambrook Pty Ltd
Criticism
No COVID Fashion Commitments
In 2020 Baptist World Aid Australia released The COVID Fashion Report, a special edition of their Ethical Fashion Report. The report is framed around six COVID Fashion Commitments that ask companies to demonstrate the steps and measures they are taking to protect and support the most vulnerable workers in their supply chains. This company showed no evidence of actions that it covered any of the COVID Fashion Commitments.
2/5 on Good On You
This company owns brands rated 'Not good enough' by Good On You, whose rating system considers the most important social and environmental issues facing the fashion industry to assess a brand's impact on people, the planet and animals.
Information
Previous Stop the Traffik campaign target
In 2016 Stop the Traffik pressured this company to sign their Make Fashion Traffik Free Protocol. Fashion companies that sign the Protocol commit to fully tracing their supply chain and to work to ensuring better working conditions. Stop the Traffik sent 1,000's of postcards as well as letters to CEO Denise Haughey without a response from her.
Better Cotton Initiative member
This company is a member of the Better Cotton Initiative, a voluntary program which encourages the adoption of better management practices in cotton cultivation to achieve measurable reductions in key environmental impacts, while improving social and economic benefits for cotton farmers, small and large, worldwide.
Sustainability claims
This company has sustainability claims on its website, mainly in the areas of materials sourcing and charitable giving.
BrandBank Group Pty Ltd
Criticism
21/100 in 2022 Ethical Fashion Report
Baptist World Aid Australia's '2022 Ethical Fashion Report' assessed 120 companies on their efforts to mitigate against the risks of forced labour, child labour and worker exploitation in their supply chains, as well as protect the environment from the harmful impacts of the fashion industry. Assessment criteria fall into five main categories: policy & governance, tracing & risk, auditing and supplier relationships, worker empowerment and environmental sustainability. This company received a score of 21/100.
Information
Sustainability claims
This company has sustainability claims on its website in areas that include ethical sourcing and manufacturing, packaging, community support, and reducing environmental impact.
Lew Group
Information
Fined for building illegal pool
Solomon Lew, owner of Premier Investments, struck a deal with Mornington Shire Council in June 2012 to remove a pool he had built on Crown Land without permission and remediate the land in exchange for negligence charges being dropped. Lew is to pay Council's legal fees of $150,000 and a fine of $50,000.
Wikipedia profile on Solomon Lew
Wikipedia profile on Lew Group head, Solomon Lew. Includes details of controversial business deals, including the Yannon transaction and the Etiket transaction.

Company Details

Type:
Wholly-owned subsidiary
Founded:
2000

Contact Details

Address:
425 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
Freecall:
1800 118 889
Website:
www.seedheritage.com

Products / Brands

Seed Heritage