Michael Kors
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 label selling handbags, watches and clothing.
Michael Kors 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.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production 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.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (unpaid or underpaid wages, last recorded in 2018) is more than 5 years old.
- 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 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 Bangladesh and Cambodia, 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 and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
Red flags 3
- 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
- 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
Michael Kors names some of the countries it makes in: Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Bangladesh. 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 |
| Indonesia | 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 |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
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.
- 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 Michael Kors products are made by independent contractors, nearly all in Asia; Capri names Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Bangladesh as the main locations but gives no shares by country and does not publish a factory list. Capri uses third-party audits and has a migrant worker policy, but publishes no audit results and has no living wage commitment. It says about 91% of its leather came from certified (Leather Working Group) tanneries in 2022. It is not rated in the Ethical Fashion Report, and scored 25/100 on KnowTheChain's 2023 forced labour benchmark.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Capri Holdings scored 23% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, below the 26% average. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Capri Holdings publishes an annual modern slavery and supply chain disclosure; the FY2026 statement says nearly all Michael Kors products are made in Asia but names no suppliers. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Fashion Checker found no public evidence that Capri's suppliers pay workers a living wage; Capri scored 58.5/250 in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index. View |
| KnowTheChain | Listed | Capri Holdings scored 25/100 in the KnowTheChain 2023 apparel and footwear benchmark on forced labour. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Workers at Panyu Simone, a Guangzhou factory making Michael Kors bags, struck in 2018 over unpaid pension and housing fund contributions and pay below legal requirements (China Labor Watch, South China Morning Post, 2018). Source · search the archive | Not knownThe factory agreed to back-pay pension and housing fund contributions and a 3,500 yuan base wage after an eight-day strike; no action by Michael Kors was 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.
- Workers at Myanmar GiGi Leather Goods, which they say makes Michael Kors wallets and purses, reported verbal abuse, unrealistic output targets applied even to pregnant workers, and denial of permanent contracts (Myanmar Labour News, 2024). Source
- About 2,000 workers, 60% of the workforce, were laid off at Luenthai Philippines, a bag supplier to Michael Kors, after buyers cut orders; Michael Kors said it was investigating the factory's hiring and firing practices (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2024). Source
- A 2021 Sheffield Hallam University report linked cotton made with Uyghur forced labour in Xinjiang to supply chains of Capri Holdings brands; Capri said its own investigation did not corroborate this (Ethical Consumer; KnowTheChain, 2023). Source
- Unions said Superl Cambodia, a bag factory supplying Michael Kors, had a union leader jailed in 2020 after she criticised planned dismissals of union members; Michael Kors 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
- Capri - Shop Ethical (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · FTI 2023 23%; KnowTheChain 2023 25/100; Better Cotton and LWG member; 2018 CLW report; Sheffield Hallam Xinjiang link
- China Labor Watch's Letter to Michael Kors · search the archive · Unpaid social insurance, hazard pay and leave wages at Guangzhou Shimen handbag factory, 2018
- Capri Holdings Form 10-K, Fiscal 2026 · search the archive · Third-party contractors; primary Michael Kors manufacturers in Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Bangladesh; largest contractor about 14%
- Eight-day strike at China factory making Michael Kors bags ends (SCMP) · search the archive · Panyu Simone workers won back pay of pension and housing funds and base wage in March 2018
- Capri Holdings 2026 Supply Chain Disclosure · search the archive · Nearly all Michael Kors products made in Asia; third-party audits; no suppliers named
- Capri Holdings Releases 2022 CSR Report (Business Wire) · search the archive · 91% of leather sourced from certified tanneries (leather major material)
- Capri on the way to achieving full LWG certified sourcing (World Footwear) · search the archive · About 85% of leather from LWG gold/silver tanneries in 2021; 95% target by 2025
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Michael Kors ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/michael-kors, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Michael Kors.