Bally
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Swiss luxury brand selling leather shoes, bags and small leather goods.
There's no proof Bally pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.
Better-graded footwear
Graded higher than Bally, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.
Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Bally? Send a right of reply.
Compare Bally with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 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 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsSome of its products are made in China, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- 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
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listPublishes its supplier list
- Not met: High-risk raw materials (leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: leather
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From press and retailer reports. Bally publishes its supplier list, but we haven't recorded its countries from it yet.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Portugal | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Spain | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Publishes supplier list
- Uses little or no cotton (e.g. wool, linen or leather products)
- Doesn't show where its leather comes from. Leather is linked to hazardous tannery work and forced labour on some cattle ranches, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
Research notes Bally closed its last own shoe factories, in Tuscany in 2025 and in Caslano, Switzerland, in 2026; its products are now made by suppliers in Italy, Portugal, Spain and China, with no shares by country disclosed. It says it has published a list of its main tier 1 and 2 suppliers since 2021 and requires suppliers to sign a code of conduct, with audits that may be unannounced. It publishes no audit results or living wage commitment. Its Swiss shoe company entered a debt moratorium in June 2026 and a court has frozen a transfer of the brand.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Scored 82.8 out of 250 (about 33%) in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, the latest full edition, up from 0 in 2020. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Company profile records one labour story on shoe supply chains in Eastern Europe, with one response request that went unanswered; no living wage evidence found by Fashion Checker. 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.
- Bally was one of 28 shoe companies asked to respond to Clean Clothes Campaign research that found most interviewed workers in Eastern European shoe factories were paid below the legal minimum wage, and it did not reply (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2016). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Bally - Business & Human Rights Centre · search the archive · Fashion Transparency Index scores 2020-2023; no public evidence of living wage work; one unanswered response request.
- Reports allege poor working conditions in shoe supply chains in Eastern Europe (BHRRC) · search the archive · Bally among 28 firms contacted about Clean Clothes Campaign shoe factory reports and did not respond.
- Bally ends production in Switzerland (FashionNetwork) · search the archive · Caslano shoe production ends by August 2026; Tuscany production ended in 2025; owned by Regent LP since 2024.
- Bally seized; unions demand clear answers (FashionUnited, July 2026) · search the archive · Regent LP still owns Bally; Lugano court blocked brand sale to Aare LLC; moratorium from 15 June 2026; 27 redundancies.
- Bally in amministrazione controllata (MF Milano Finanza) · search the archive · Swiss production ended in 2026; products are made by suppliers in Italy, Portugal, Spain and China; court-ordered moratorium.
Published by Bally or its owner
- Sustainability at Bally · search the archive · Publishes a list of main tier 1 and 2 suppliers since 2021; supplier code of conduct is public.
- Bally - California Transparency in Supply Chains Act disclosure · search the archive · Suppliers must sign the code of conduct; audits may be done directly or by third parties, with or without notice.
Company details
- Owned by
- Regent LP (US private equity), owner since 2024; Swiss shoe arm in debt restructuring since 2026.
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Bally ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/bally, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency 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 Bally.