Max Mara
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Italian luxury womenswear label known for its coats.
In 2022, Armenian inspectors found labour law breaches at a factory named as producing for Max Mara, after a strike over unpaid overtime.
Also worth knowing
There's no public record of Max Mara putting this right.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Max Mara? Send a right of reply.
Compare Max Mara with another brand
Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, a hidden, unaudited supply chain in high-risk countries and a problem with pay, rights or safety with no fix shown. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years with no public record of it being put right: unpaid or underpaid wages, last recorded in 2022.
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 confirmed child or forced labour findings or linksAn unconfirmed report of forced labour is listed below. It doesn't affect the grade.
- 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, leather and cashmere) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton and cashmere
Red flags 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights
- Red flag: A confirmed problem with pay, rights or safety not shown to be put rightShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
Max Mara says it makes products in Italy. Press and retailer reports name Romania, Armenia and Myanmar. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| BangladeshUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Italy | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Romania | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Armenia | Regular violations | Not rated | High |
| Myanmar | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Very high |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| CambodiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| 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
- 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.
- Doesn't show where its cashmere comes from. Cashmere is linked to forced labour in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
- Uses leather in only a few products and doesn't show where it comes from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Max Mara Fashion Group runs its own production sites in Reggio Emilia, including Manifattura San Maurizio for coats and suits, but also uses outside suppliers that have been named in reports in Armenia, Myanmar and Romania; it does not say what share is made where. It publishes no supplier list, no modern slavery statement, no audit results and no living wage commitment, saying only that suppliers must follow national labour laws. It scored 0% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index and 0% certified cotton in 2025 rankings.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Max Mara Fashion Group scored 0.8 out of 250 (0%) in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Company profile lists stories on supplier factories in Myanmar, Armenia and Romania; four response requests with a 25% response rate. View |
Confirmed issues 1
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Armenia's Health and Labour Inspection Body found labour law violations and fined the director of Sartex, a Yerevan garment factory named as producing for Max Mara, after workers struck over unpaid overtime, underpaid wages and mistreatment (BHRRC, 2022). Source · archived copy | Not knownMax Mara did not respond to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre about Sartex; no remedy for workers has been reported. |
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 2025 about 50-60 seamstresses at Manifattura San Maurizio, the Max Mara group's coat factory in Reggio Emilia, struck over gruelling shifts, monitored bathroom breaks and insults about their weight; Max Mara denied the complaints, and in May 2026 workers approved a new union agreement with 90% of votes (Il Post, 2025; il Resto del Carlino, 2026). Source
- Workers at the Tristate Myanmar garment factory, linked to Max Mara Fashion Group by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, reported forced daily overtime with no day off, denied sick leave and a worker who miscarried being refused leave in 2024; Max Mara did not respond (BHRRC, 2025). Source
- A 2019 Clean Clothes Campaign study of Romania's garment industry, where average wages were about 14% of a living wage, raised Max Mara's Romanian suppliers; Max Mara said it could not identify the factories and blamed low national minimum wages (BHRRC, 2019). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Max Mara Fashion Group company profile (BHRRC) · search the archive · FTI 2019-2023 (0.8/250 in 2023); Myanmar, Armenia and Romania stories; 4 requests, 25% response rate
- Armenia: Overtime without pay and bad treatment, Sartex employees on strike (BHRRC) · archived copy · 2022 Sartex strike; inspectorate found violations and fined director; Max Mara did not respond
- Myanmar: Women workers reportedly suffering miscarriage in garment factory (BHRRC) · search the archive · Tristate Myanmar 2024 allegations; Max Mara invited to respond and did not
- Max Mara's response (BHRRC, 2019) · search the archive · Response on Romanian suppliers: could not identify factories; suppliers contractually bound to follow labour laws
- Come un piccolo sciopero ha portato Max Mara ad annullare un grosso investimento (Il Post, 2025) · search the archive · 2025 strike at group-controlled San Maurizio plant over shifts, monitoring and insults; company denied complaints
- Sartex workers on strike (Hetq, 2022) · search the archive · Sartex makes garments for Max Mara, Moncler and others; workers paid below contract, no overtime pay
Published by Max Mara or its owner
- Max Mara Fashion Group - Places · search the archive · Group campuses in Reggio Emilia and Manifatture di San Maurizio producing coats, jackets and suits; no outsourcing share given
Company details
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Max Mara ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/max-mara, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
Better-graded luxury and designer
No luxury and designer brand selling new goods is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. 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 Max Mara.