Wittner Shoes
Footwear
Founded in 1912, Wittner is an Australian owned and operated business being managed by the third generation of the Wittner family. Wittner has 20 standalone stores nationally, and 25 concessions inside department stores. Hilco became majority owners in 2022. Collapsed into administration in April 2025.

Overall

Owned AUS
Rating D-
About the Ratings

Company Ownership

Wittner Australia Pty Ltd
AUS
The Shoe Group Pty Ltd
owns 100% of Wittner Australia Pty Ltd
AUS
Footwear
Represents 17 footwear brands across Australia and New Zealand, with over 400 retail outlets.

Company Assessment

(Last updated Oct 2024)
Wittner Australia Pty Ltd
Criticism
10/100 in Ethical Fashion Report
Baptist World Aid Australia's '2024 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 ranked in the bottom 20%, with a score of 10/100.
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
Use of dog fur
According to investigations by Humane Society International (HSI) in 2011, fur vests sold by Wittner were found to contain dog fur from China, despite being labelled 100% rabbit fur. Importation of dog or cat fur is illegal in Australia. Wittner continued to sell the vests despite being advised of HSI's test results. Further investigations also found extremely high levels of toxic hexavalent chromium in a Wittner fur vest.
Leather Working Group member
This company is a member of the Leather Working Group, a multi-stakeholder group who's objective is to develop and maintain a protocol that assesses the compliance and environmental performance of tanners and promotes sustainable and appropriate environmental business practices within the leather industry.
Sustainability claims
This company has sustainability claims on its website.
The Shoe Group Pty Ltd
No assessment data currently available for The Shoe Group Pty Ltd.
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Company Details

Type:
Private company
Founded:
1912
Revenue:
23.9 million USD (2009)

Contact Details

Address:
127-129 Cremorne St, Richmond, VIC, 3121, Australia
Phone:
03 9428 1900
Freecall:
1300 137 463
Website:
www.wittner.com.au

Products / Brands

Wittner Shoes
Wittner Womens Shoes