Labour Lens

French Connection

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Clothing & footwear

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources

London fashion brand selling women's and men's clothing.

There's no proof French Connection pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.

Better-graded everyday fashion

Graded higher than French Connection, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.

3 resale and rental platforms, Good by ruleBuying second-hand or refurbished: SWOP Clothing Exchange, AirRobe and Grailed · See them allGoodThe Social StudioClothing & footwearSocial enterprise fashion labelIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Gives workers a real voice; Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities4 starsMiddlemostClothing & footwearOne-off clothing from vintage textilesIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Open supply chain3 starsThe Social OutfitClothing & footwearSydney-made social enterprise fashionIts own factories in Australia hold Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Gives workers a real voice3 stars

Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

  • Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
  • Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and unaudited production in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
  • 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.

How grades are decided

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 rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and Bangladesh, 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
  • 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) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton

Red flags 2

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
  • Red flag: Made mostly 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

French Connection names some of the countries it makes in: Bangladesh, China, India and Türkiye. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.

Where it's made, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
ChinaNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
BangladeshNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
IndiaNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
TürkiyeNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageVery high
VietnamUsual for the industrySystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
CambodiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
IndonesiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
PakistanUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageHigh

Evidence

What we found

  • Modern slavery statement
  • 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.

Research notes French Connection's modern slavery statement (year to June 2023) names China, India, Bangladesh and Turkey as main sources, with specialist lines made in other European and Asian countries; it gives no shares or factory list. It uses no third-party auditors (its own staff survey factories) and requires only a 'fair wage', with no living wage commitment. Its Australian stores, run under licence by BrandBank Group, became Unison in 2023. North American clothing is made under licence by G-III Apparel since February 2026. No labour abuse findings tied to its products have been reported.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion ReportNot listedFrench Connection's UK owner is not rated in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report; the 32/100 score on ethical.org.au belongs to former Australian licensee BrandBank Group. View
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreListedCompany profile lists no allegations or response requests; modern slavery statements recorded for 2016-17 and 2018-19. View
UK Modern Slavery Statement RegistryListedFrench Connection UK and MIP Holdings publish a statement for the year to 30 June 2023: main origins China, India, Bangladesh and Turkey; own staff survey factories; no third-party audits; 'fair wage' only. View

Sources and actions

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources
  1. How ethical is French Connection? (Good On You) · search the archive · Labour rated 'Not Good Enough': no production countries disclosed, partial audits, no living wage commitment
  2. French Connection Australia rebrands as 'Unison' (FashionNetwork, 2023) · search the archive · Brandbank Group's French Connection Australia relaunched as the Unison label in August 2023
  3. French Connection Group and G-III Apparel Group announce licensing agreement (January 2026) · search the archive · MIP Holdings is the current owner; G-III licenses men's and women's apparel in North America from February 2026
  4. Gordon Brothers finances MIP Holdings' takeover of French Connection · search the archive · MIP Holdings took French Connection private in 2021
  5. Women's FCUK (ASOS Australia) · search the archive · French Connection clothing sold online to Australian shoppers through ASOS Australia

Published by French Connection or its owner

  1. French Connection Modern Slavery Statement (year to 30 June 2023) · search the archive · Main origins China, India, Bangladesh, Turkey; own-staff factory surveys, no third-party audits; suppliers must pay a 'fair wage'

Company details

Headquarters
United Kingdom
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is French Connection ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/french-connection, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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