Armani Exchange
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Armani's casual label selling denim, T-shirts and accessories.
In 2024, a court put Armani Exchange's parent's production unit under administration after subcontractors exploited undeclared migrant workers making Armani bags.
Also worth knowing
Armani Exchange has only partly put this right.
Better-graded bags and accessories
Graded higher than Armani Exchange, selling the same kinds of things.
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Compare Armani Exchange with another brand
Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, clear breaches of labour conditions, a hidden, unaudited supply chain, probably in high-risk countries and a problem with pay, rights or safety with no fix shown. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: labour rights breach, last recorded in 2024.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: labour rights breach, last recorded in 2024
- 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
- Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
Red flags 4
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, probably mostly in countries with poor worker rights
- Red flag: A confirmed problem with pay, rights or safety not shown to be put rightShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 3 red flags that set it.
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
We couldn't confirm where Armani Exchange makes most of its products, so this shows where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 30% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | 20% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | 15% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | 10% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Cambodia | 8% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Türkiye | 7% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Indonesia | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Pakistan | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety
- Doesn't show where its cotton comes from. Cotton is linked to forced labour in Xinjiang and Turkmenistan, and child labour in several growing regions, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
- Uses leather in only a few products and doesn't show where it comes from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Armani Exchange is the casual label of the Armani Group. The group does not publish where A|X clothes are made. Its Australian imports come from owned or outsourced facilities in Italy, China and Hong Kong, but it gives no shares or label-level factory list. The group has signed the International Accord and has a supplier sustainability code, but it has no living wage commitment and reports 0% certified cotton. In 2024-2025 an Italian court and Italy's competition regulator found serious abuses at subcontractors making Armani-branded leather goods. A|X uses leather only in some shoes, belts and bags.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Giorgio Armani scored 38% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index (average 26%) and 9/100 in the 2025 edition. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Records the 2024 Milan court case over exploitative subcontractors and the lifting of court controls in 2025. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | Fined 3.5 million euros by Italy's competition authority in 2025 for ethics claims contradicted by conditions at suppliers; Armani's court appeal was still pending in July 2026. View |
Confirmed issues 2
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | In 2025 Italy's competition authority fined Armani 3.5 million euros for misleading ethics claims, finding suppliers' workshops removed machine safety guards, had poor sanitation and used undeclared workers (AFP, 2025). Source · archived copy | NoArmani rejected the ruling and appealed to the regional administrative court; no ruling had been reported by July 2026. |
| 2024 | In 2024 a Milan court put Armani's production unit under judicial administration after subcontractors making Armani-branded bags and accessories exploited undeclared migrant workers in unsafe workshops (FashionUnited, 2024). Source · archived copy | PartlyArmani dropped at-risk suppliers and set up a supply chain tracing project; the court lifted its oversight in February 2025. No pay to affected workers was reported. |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Giorgio Armani SpA - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Accord signatory; FTI 38% (2023); 0% certified cotton (2025 Cotton Rankings); imports from owned or outsourced sites in Hong Kong, China and Italy
- Italian court targets Armani over labour violations (FashionUnited) · archived copy · April 2024 judicial administration of Giorgio Armani Operations over subcontractors exploiting workers making Armani bags and accessories
- Illegal recruitment: Armani's judicial administration revoked (La Conceria) · search the archive · Court lifted administration in February 2025 after Armani cut at-risk suppliers and launched a tracing project
- Italy fines Armani for misleading ethical statements (EWN/AFP) · archived copy · 3.5 million euro fine in 2025; safety devices removed, poor sanitation, undeclared workers at suppliers; Armani to appeal
- Armani parent posts 2025 profit, challenges Italian antitrust fine (Asharq Al-Awsat, 2026) · search the archive · July 2026: Armani's appeal against the 3.5 million euro fine is still before the regional administrative court
Published by Armani Exchange or its owner
- Armani Group 2022 Sustainability Report · search the archive · A|X aimed at a younger audience; cotton a main fibre; leather noted only for some accessories; no supplier country breakdown
Company details
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Armani Exchange ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/armani-exchange, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Armani Exchange.