Pepe Jeans London
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
London-founded denim and casualwear brand.
Pepe Jeans London can't show that the workers who make its products in Bangladesh and India earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Pepe Jeans London? Send a right of reply.
Compare Pepe Jeans London with another brand
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.
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 the United Arab Emirates 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 and leather) 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
These are its parent group's countries across all its brands; Pepe Jeans London doesn't say where its own products are made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | No guarantee of rights | Not rated | Very high |
| Bangladesh | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Spain | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| France | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Italy | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Morocco | Regular violations | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Mauritius | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| Pakistan | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
| Poland | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| Portugal | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Tunisia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Türkiye | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| Ukraine | No guarantee of rights | Not rated | Very high |
Evidence
What we found
- Signed the International Accord on garment factory safety Source
- 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.
- 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 Pepe Jeans does not publish a supplier list or its own production countries. Its owner AWWG reported 347 supplier facilities in 2022/23 in Bangladesh, China, France, India, Italy, Mauritius, Morocco, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UAE, with no shares or brand breakdown, so these are the group's countries. AWWG signed the International Accord in 2022, joined Better Cotton in 2021 and audited about 63% of manufacturing sites. Pepe Jeans endorses the living wage idea but has no plan, and scored about 2% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Scored 6 out of 250 (about 2%) in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, among the lowest results. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Pepe Jeans London Limited publishes a UK Modern Slavery Act statement (financial year to April 2021) describing pre-sourcing checks, audits and corrective action plans, but names no countries or factories. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Company profile records Fashion Checker finding no public evidence that suppliers pay a living wage; no response requests. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not listed | Neither Pepe Jeans nor its owner AWWG is rated in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, the latest edition. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- List of Accord brand signatories, 21 April 2023 · search the archive · Pepe Jeans India Limited and Pepe Jeans S.L. listed as International Accord signatories
- Pepe Jeans - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · search the archive · FTI scores 1 (2020), 0.5 (2021), 6 (2022), 6 (2023) out of 250; no living wage evidence
- Pepe Jeans Group bought by LVMH subsidiary and Lebanese group (FashionUnited, 2015) · search the archive · M1 Group and L Capital Asia bought Pepe Jeans Group in 2015; founded in London in 1973
- AWWG Non-Financial Report 2022-23 · search the archive · 347 facilities in 15 named countries for Pepe Jeans, Hackett and Façonnable; Accord since 2022; Better Cotton since 2021; 62.9% audited
- Pepe Jeans - COSH! brand profile (2023) · search the archive · 36 production sites in 7 countries incl. Bangladesh, Pakistan; BSCI/SMETA/WRAP audits; Accord 2022; BCI 2021; cotton and cowhide used
- Pepe Jeans Finsbury skinny jeans - ASOS Australia · search the archive · Pepe Jeans sold online to Australia through ASOS
Published by Pepe Jeans London or its owner
- UK Modern Slavery Act statement - Pepe Jeans · search the archive · Statement for FY to April 2021: supplier code, pre-sourcing assessments, audits; endorses living wage ideal; no countries named
Company details
- Headquarters
- Spain
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Pepe Jeans London ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/pepe-jeans, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded everyday fashion
None of the everyday fashion brands we know to make jeans is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. The Social Studio, Middlemost and The Social Outfit are Good, but we don't know that they make jeans. 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 Pepe Jeans London.