‘Unfair’U retail rule exposed by singer

FASHION retail staff are being pressured to fork out thousands of dollars a year to wear the latest season trends — only to be told it can’t be worn once sold out.

The “unfair” rule for staff was shared by a former employee who took to social media to expose Australian fashion label Kookai.

Sydney-based singer and songwriter Peta Mai shared her experience after Melbourne woman Adelle Petropoulos blasted the retailer earlier this month over an employee’s “disgraceful attitude”.

“When I started working at Kookai they made the girls buy the clothes so that obviously they could help to sell them to potential customers,” Ms Mai claims in the Tiktok video.

“What I didn’t realise was that as soon as those clothes sell out, you can’t wear them anymore. “So I was basically pressured into buying a $250 dress. Yes I got a discount on it, but it sold out in a day. So I wore that dress for a day and then I wasn’t allowed to wear it anymore.”

Under the Fair Work Act if an employer requires any special clothing to do a job they need to cover the cost unless otherwise stated in an enterprise agreement.

Retail and Fast Food Workers Union Secretary Josh Cullinan said the requirement is “simply unlawful” and has been a “huge issue” among female members in the sector.

According to the union, almost all retail workers in fashion retail are paid just over $23 an hour for non-managerial employees and nearly $30 for a casual worker. “This wage theft is costing low paid workers millions of dollars … it’s scandalous,” Mr Cullinan said.

KOOKAI said staff are only encouraged to wear their products which includes “current season, sale product, sold out product or product from previous seasons”. However, they refused to comment on Ms Mai’s claims.