Kate Spade
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
New York brand selling handbags, wallets and ready-to-wear.
Kate Spade can't show that the workers who make its products in Bangladesh and Vietnam earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Better-graded bags and accessories
Graded higher than Kate Spade, 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 Kate Spade? Send a right of reply.
Compare Kate Spade with another brand
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
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia.
- 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 (cotton and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
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
Where it's made
From Kate Spade's own disclosure: it publishes its supplier list. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Cambodia | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Philippines | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Publishes supplier list
- Modern slavery statement
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- 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.
- 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 Kate Spade products are made by independent manufacturers, in fiscal 2026 mainly in Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines and Bangladesh; Tapestry publishes a Tier 1 supplier list but no production shares by country. Tier 1 factories are audited each year with semi-announced audits. There is no living wage commitment, and Tapestry is not rated in the Ethical Fashion Report. Leather is the main material and 99% of Tapestry's leather comes from Leather Working Group gold- or silver-rated tanneries; the brand also uses cotton in its clothing.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Parent Tapestry scored 41% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, above the 26% average. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Covered by Tapestry's FY2025 Australian modern slavery statement, which reports about 206 semi-announced supplier audits, 78% at Tier 1 suppliers. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Kate Spade profile records one Philippines supplier story (D'luxe Bags, 2020) with one response request, not answered. 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.
- About 3,000 workers at D'luxe Bags Philippines, a bag maker named as a Kate Spade supplier, demanded pay for leave during a COVID-19 shutdown and better health and safety; Tapestry did not respond (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2020). Source
- China Labor Watch said striking workers at a Guangzhou handbag factory, owed pension, housing fund and leave pay, had made Kate Spade products among other brands (China Labor Watch, 2018). Source
- Unions said Superl Cambodia, a bag factory supplying Tapestry brands including Kate Spade, had a union leader jailed in 2020 after she criticised planned dismissals of union members; Tapestry did not respond. In June 2020 the factory withdrew its complaint and reinstated her with back pay (BHRRC; VOD, 2020). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Kate Spade & Company - Shop Ethical (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Owned by Tapestry; Tapestry FTI 2023 41%; Uzbek Cotton Pledge; no Ethical Fashion Report score
- Philippines: 3000 workers of bag manufacturer demand pandemic leave pay (BHRRC) · search the archive · D'luxe Bags Philippines workers' demands, 2020; Kate Spade named as buyer; no response
- Tapestry Form 10-K, Fiscal 2026 · search the archive · Kate Spade made primarily in Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines and Bangladesh in fiscal 2026; no vendor over 10%; Stuart Weitzman sold Aug 2025
- Tapestry FY2025 Modern Slavery Statement (Australian register) · search the archive · About 206 semi-announced audits, mostly Tier 1; annual Tier 1 audit programme
- Tapestry hits leather-sourcing goals (Leatherbiz) · search the archive · FY2025: 99% of leather from LWG gold/silver tanneries; 95% of raw materials mapped and traceable
Published by Kate Spade or its owner
- Tapestry Supplier List · search the archive · Tapestry publishes a Tier 1 supplier list covering its brands
- Create Products with Care (Tapestry) · search the archive · Leather over half of raw materials; LWG-rated tanneries; cotton also used across brands
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Kate Spade ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/kate-spade, last researched 2 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 Kate Spade.