Outland Denim is an Australiandenim company[1] that gained in popularity after Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wore a pair on her royal tour in Australia in 2018.[2] The company started by James Bartle in 2011[1] was founded with the mission of helping survivors of human traffickinginAsia[3] and now also provides living wages to its seamstresses in small villages in Cambodia.[4]
In 2008, founder Bartle saw the film Taken about sex traffickers which brought the topic to his mind. In 2011, while visiting an anti-trafficking organization called Destiny Rescue, he saw human trafficking and decided to create a company to help those at risk.[5] His first factory in rural Cambodia started with five employees and now has 65 earning a living wage.[5][6]
The brand started in 2011 with pop-up sales in Australia during music festivals. They launched in Canada in 2018 and are a Certified B Corporation international brand.[7] In 2018, Meghan Markle wore a pair of Outland Denim black jeans, following which the brand received a 948% increase in online traffic.[8]
