Alexander McQueen
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
London luxury fashion house selling ready-to-wear, shoes and handbags.
Alexander McQueen publishes no supplier list or independent audits, which Italian fashion needs before we presume a living wage, because Milan prosecutors have found luxury brands' subcontractors exploiting migrant workers.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 3 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- Met: High-risk raw materials (cotton, leather, natural rubber, silk and cashmere) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeTraced or certified: cotton and leather. Only in a few products: natural rubber, silk and cashmere
Red flags 1
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Alexander McQueen's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
Dresses & skirts, Shirts, Pants & trousers, Jackets & coats, Suits, Knitwear, T-shirts, Sneakers, Boots, Shoes, Bags & backpacks: Lacks transparency, the same as Alexander McQueen overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
Alexander McQueen says it makes products in Italy. Kering's figures name France.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| Italy | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for clothes and shoes: traces or certifies its cotton and leather.
- Modern slavery statement
- Being made in Italy doesn't count towards a living wage or audit here: Italian fashion and leather goods, where Milan prosecutors have found luxury brands' subcontractors exploiting migrant workers. It would need to publish its suppliers or have them independently audited. Source
- Uses natural rubber, silk and cashmere in only a few products and doesn't show where they come from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of them traced, certified or upcycled.
- Traces or certifies most but not all of its cotton. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
- Traces or certifies most but not all of its leather. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Alexander McQueen does not publish a supplier list or a country split. It runs three production units in Italy (Scandicci, Novara and Parabiago, about 180 workers, cut by 54 in 2026) and uses Italian subcontractors; Kering says its suppliers are mainly in Italy and France. Kering audits suppliers group-wide but checks legal minimum wages and has no public living wage target; it scored 44/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report. McQueen was among brands asked for records in Milan's 2025 subcontractor probe, with no finding against it.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Kering brands other than Gucci, including Alexander McQueen, scored 51% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, against a 26% average. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Covered by Kering's 2024 modern slavery statement: 4,470 group suppliers, mainly in Italy and France, and 4,550 audits in 2024; no figures for McQueen alone. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Owner Kering scored 44/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5); Alexander McQueen is not scored separately. View |
| Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (World Benchmarking Alliance) | Listed | Kering scored 52.1% in the World Benchmarking Alliance's 2026 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark. View |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- In December 2025 Milan prosecutors ordered Alexander McQueen Italia and 12 other luxury firms to hand over audit and supply chain records in a probe into suspected exploitation of Chinese workers at Italian subcontractors; McQueen was not placed under investigation and no finding has been made (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2025). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Alexander McQueen - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · FTI 2023: Kering brands other than Gucci 51%; KnowTheChain 2023 23/100; Cotton Rankings 2025: 82% of cotton from certified sources
- Luxury fashion firms asked for documents as part of Italian labor abuse probe (BHRRC) · search the archive · 4 Dec 2025: Alexander McQueen Italia among 13 firms asked for records; only Tod's under investigation
- Kering - Shop Ethical! (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Kering 44/100 in 2026 Ethical Fashion Report; 52.1% in WBA Human Rights Benchmark 2026; KnowTheChain 2023 23/100
- Kering SA 2024 Modern Slavery Statement (Australian register) · search the archive · McQueen listed among Kering Houses; 4,470 suppliers mainly in Italy and France; 4,550 audits in 2024; no living wage target
- Kering accelerates adjustment at Alexander McQueen with more than 50 layoffs in Italy (Modaes) · search the archive · March 2026: McQueen production plants in Scandicci, Novara and Parabiago; 54 of 181 Italian workers to be laid off
- Kering targets 100% traceable leather by 2025 (Leatherbiz) · search the archive · Kering traces 88% of raw materials at least to country level; leather is its highest-impact material; target of farm-level leather tracing
Published by Alexander McQueen or its owner
- Alexander McQueen (official Australian site) · search the archive · Women's and men's ready-to-wear, leather boots and goods, oversized sneakers with rubber soles; no kidswear; silk and cashmere lines are minor
Company details
- Owned by
- Kering SA
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Alexander McQueen ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/alexander-mcqueen, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded luxury and designer
No luxury and designer brand selling new goods is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Alexander McQueen.