Louis Vuitton
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
LVMH's Paris house selling handbags, luggage and ready-to-wear.
Louis Vuitton is rated as part of a company that scored 21/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report.
Better-graded bags and accessories
Graded higher than Louis Vuitton, 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 Louis Vuitton? Send a right of reply.
Compare Louis Vuitton 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
- 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
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton, leather, natural rubber, silk and cashmere) 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: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: Ethical Fashion Report 21/100 (2026, the company it's rated with)
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 Louis Vuitton'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.
Bags & backpacks, Jackets & coats, Shirts, Knitwear, Pants & trousers, Dresses & skirts, T-shirts, Suits, Sneakers, Shoes, Boots, Sandals & thongs, Hats: Lacks transparency, the same as Louis Vuitton 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
From Louis Vuitton's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| Spain | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| France | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| Italy | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| United States | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Owns or runs its own production
- 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.
- 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 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 Louis Vuitton says its leather goods are made only in its own workshops in France, Spain, Italy and the United States, its clothing and shoes in France and Italy, and its watches in Switzerland; it publishes no factory list or production shares. Its staff are covered by LVMH's Fair Wage Principles, developed with the Fair Wage Network, but there is no independent proof of living wages. Parent LVMH scored 21/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, and other LVMH labels (Dior, Loro Piana) had Italian units placed under court administration in 2024-25 over subcontractor exploitation; no such case has involved Louis Vuitton.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Problem found | Parent LVMH scored 21 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5); Louis Vuitton is not scored separately. View |
| Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (World Benchmarking Alliance) | Listed | Parent LVMH scored 46.1 out of 100 in the 2026 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (average 53.7). View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | LVMH brands other than Fendi scored 29% or lower in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, against a 26% average. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Louis Vuitton UK publishes a modern slavery statement for 2025; it names no production countries, supplier numbers or audit results. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- LVMH - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · LVMH: Ethical Fashion Report 2026 21/100; CHRB 2026 46.1/100; FTI 2023 brands 29% or lower; KnowTheChain 2023 6/100
- France: 240 Louis Vuitton craftspeople stage walkout (BHRRC, 2022) · search the archive · Louis Vuitton has 18 ateliers in France; 2022 walkout over pay and hours; 15-year worker paid 14 euros an hour
- Court steps in over LVMH unit's labour exploitation (BusinessLIVE, 2024) · search the archive · Milan court placed an LVMH Dior unit under administration in 2024 over subcontractor exploitation
Published by Louis Vuitton or its owner
- Where are Louis Vuitton products crafted? (Louis Vuitton Australia) · search the archive · Leather goods only in its workshops in France, Spain, Italy and the US; ready-to-wear and shoes in France and Italy; watches in Switzerland
- Louis Vuitton UK 2025 Modern Slavery Statement · search the archive · Products largely made by LVMH industrial subsidiaries; LVMH Fair Wage Principles with Fair Wage Network; audits on forced and child labour
- Louis Vuitton Norge AS Transparency Act statement (June 2026) · search the archive · FY2025: products mainly made by LVMH industrial subsidiaries; audits check forced and child labour; no impacts reported
Company details
- Headquarters
- France
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Louis Vuitton ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/louis-vuitton, 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 Louis Vuitton.