Ferragamo
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Florence luxury house selling shoes, bags and ready-to-wear.
Ferragamo 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: leather. Only in a few products: cotton, 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 Ferragamo'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.
Shoes, Boots, Sandals & thongs, Sneakers, Bags & backpacks, Dresses & skirts, Knitwear, Jackets & coats, Shirts, Pants & trousers: Lacks transparency, the same as Ferragamo 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
Ferragamo says which countries it makes its products in, but doesn't name the factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 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.
- Uses cotton, 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 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 Ferragamo outsources most manufacturing to contract workshops in Italy: in 2024 Tuscany made 52.4% and Campania 24.7% of finished products by turnover, the rest other Italian regions, and about 97% of supplier turnover was Italian. It holds SA8000 certification for its own operations; in 2024 it ran 200 supplier audits, found 56 non-compliances and ended work with 19 suppliers over serious or repeated breaches by their subcontractors. It publishes no supplier list and no living wage commitment. More than 80% of its leather is traced to country of origin, mostly in Europe.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Publishes a modern slavery statement; for 2024 it reports about 97% of supplier turnover in Italy, 200 supplier audits with 56 non-compliances, and 19 suppliers dropped over subcontractor breaches. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Company profile lists no allegations; Fashion Checker found no public evidence suppliers pay a living wage; KnowTheChain 2023 score 4/100. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Named in December 2025 among 13 luxury brands asked by Milan prosecutors for records in an inquiry into exploitation of migrant workers at Italian subcontractors. 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 asked Ferragamo and 12 other luxury brands for supply chain and audit records in an inquiry into exploitation of mostly Chinese migrant workers at Italian subcontractors; no findings specific to Ferragamo were reported and the brand was not formally under investigation (AFP via FashionUnited, 2025). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Salvatore Ferragamo SpA (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · No allegations listed; no evidence of living wage; KnowTheChain 2023 4/100
- Ferragamo reports progress on leather traceability (Leatherbiz) · search the archive · 2025 report: more than 80% of leather traced through supplier declarations
- Italy sweatshop probe snares more luxury brands (FashionUnited/AFP) · search the archive · Ferragamo among 13 brands asked for records in Dec 2025; no brand-specific findings
- Ferragamo expands leather mapping efforts (AP via WTOP, 2026) · search the archive · Leather: major use (86% of sales footwear and leather goods); over 80% traced to origin, mostly Europe; 81% of materials certified
Published by Ferragamo or its owner
- Salvatore Ferragamo Modern Slavery Statement FY2023 · search the archive · 2023: 93% of supplier turnover in Italy; SA8000; 81 audits; 3 suppliers with serious non-conformities
- Ferragamo Modern Slavery Statement (FY2024, published 2025) · search the archive · 97% of 2024 supplier turnover Italian; Tuscany 52.4%, Campania 24.7% of finished goods; 200 audits, 56 non-compliances, 19 exits; 3,585 staff; SA8000
- Ferragamo official website · search the archive · Cotton, cashmere: minor use in ready-to-wear; silk: minor use in scarves and ties; rubber: minor use in sneaker soles; all untraced
Company details
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Employees
- About 3,585
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Ferragamo ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/ferragamo, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded footwear
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 Ferragamo.