Heart and Mind Apparel Co., Ltd.

A Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) investigation found that, at the time of its closure, Heart and Mind, a garment factory located in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, denied 98 of its employees approximately $150,000 in legally owed severance, of which roughly $78,000 is still unpaid.

The factory had supplied children’s clothing to PVH Corp. (Tommy Hilfiger), El Corte Inglés, and Children Worldwide Fashion (CWF), the childrenswear licensee for Hugo Boss and Marc Jacobs International (MJI), before closing permanently on December 3, 2017. Of these companies, only Hugo Boss still has not provided any assistance to the factory’s workers to correct this egregious theft of their compensation.

Heart and Mind’s management used threats and intimidation, including locking workers inside a room to force workers to resign, thereby unlawfully forcing them to relinquish their legal right to severance benefits, while paying them less than half of what they were owed under Thai law and these brands’ supplier codes of conduct.

The WRC engaged with PVH Corp. (Tommy Hilfiger), El Corte Inglés, and MJI and its licensee, CWF, to remedy this violation and collectively contribute to the workers’ severance. Marc Jacobs and its licensee, CWF, contributed funds to the former Heart and Mind workers that represented a significant portion of the severance they are owed. PVH Corp. (Tommy Hilfiger) and El Corte Inglés also made a significant contribution of funds to the former Heart and Mind workers.

The workers have received approximately US$72,000 of the total severance that is owed to them but are still owed a roughly equivalent amount. The WRC continues to engage with Hugo Boss, whose branded apparel was made at the factory, but has yet to make any contribution to assist the workers. Despite achieving record sales of EUR 4.2 billion in 2023, Hugo Boss continues to refuse to ensure that workers who made its clothes receive their legally owed severance.

Read More:

• Hugo Boss—Heartless to Heart and Mind Workers, Workers Who Sewed for Brand at Thai Factory Denied Severance – October 21, 2024
• Heartless at Heart and Mind: Cheated of severance, Thai workers who sewed kids’ clothes for El Corte Inglés struggle to feed and house their own children – December 17, 2021
• Sin corazón en Heart and Mind (Corazón y Mente): Robado de su pago de indemnización, trabajadoras y trabajadores tailandeses que cosían ropa infantil para El Corte Inglés luchan por alimentar y proveer vivienda a sus propios hijos e hijas  – December 17, 2021