Prada
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Milan luxury house selling clothing and handbags.
Prada makes most of its luxury clothing, leather goods and footwear in Italy and publishes its supplier list, which Italian fashion needs before we presume a living wage.
Also worth knowing
It publishes a modern slavery statement.
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Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 5 of 7 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
- Checks its own supply chain. Prada looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found a labour rights breach in 2025 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. It's listed below under Confirmed issues.
Good requirements 5 of 7
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in Italy are close to a living wage, not checked at the company
- Met: Respects worker rightsIts own checks found a serious breach of labour rights, which it is fixing. That's listed below and doesn't count against the grade.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final oneA "Made in" claim can cover only the final stage. Earlier stages to show: yarn, fabric, dyeing and, for shoes, uppers
- 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
- Met: High-risk raw materials (cotton, leather, natural rubber, silk and cashmere) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeTraced or certified: cotton and leather. Only in a few products: natural rubber, silk and cashmere
Red flags 0
None counted. Problems it found itself and is fixing are listed below.
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 Prada'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.
Dresses & skirts, Shirts, Pants & trousers, Jackets & coats, Knitwear, Suits, T-shirts, Shoes, Boots, Sneakers, Sandals & thongs, Bags & backpacks: On Track, the same as Prada 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 Prada'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 | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 91% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | 3% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| BangladeshUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | 1% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| CambodiaUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | under 1% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | under 1% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for clothes and shoes: traces or certifies its cotton and leather.
- Publishes supplier list
- Modern slavery statement
- "Made in Italy" only means the last major stage happened there: under customs and consumer law, yarn, fabric, dyeing and, for shoes, uppers can be made elsewhere. It hasn't shown where those earlier stages happen, so where it's made counts towards On Track but not Good.
- 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 cotton. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it 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 Prada makes its products in 25 group-owned factories (23 in Italy) and through about 450 manufacturing suppliers, 91% of them in Italy, 5% elsewhere in the EU and 4% outside the EU; it publishes a supplier and factory list. Its audits check pay against legal requirements only, and it has no living wage commitment. Its own inspections have found serious breaches at Italian subcontractors, and it scores low on forced labour benchmarks (KnowTheChain 2023: 9/100).
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Scored 34% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, above the 26% average. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Prada Group's 2025 UK modern slavery statement reports about 450 manufacturing suppliers, 91% in Italy, and 188 audits of medium and high-risk suppliers. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | Financial Times reported in January 2026 that Prada dropped 222 suppliers after more than 850 inspections since 2020 found labour law breaches. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Prada's own inspections of Italian suppliers since 2020 (more than 850) found labour law breaches, including workers sleeping in factory dormitories, and led to 222 suppliers being dropped (Financial Times via FashionUnited, 2026). Source · archived copyFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | PartlyPrada says it ended contracts with 222 suppliers and moved to zero tolerance; no compensation or remedy for affected 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 December 2025 Milan prosecutors asked Prada and 12 other luxury brands for supply chain and audit documents in an inquiry into Italian workshops exploiting Chinese and Pakistani migrant workers; Prada is not under formal investigation (AFP via FashionUnited, 2025). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Prada SpA - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · FTI 2023 34%; KnowTheChain 2023 9/100; rated F
- Prada 'zero tolerance' supply chain probe results in axing of 200 suppliers (Just Style, 2026) · search the archive · 850+ inspections since 2020 found breaches incl. factory dormitories; 43 suppliers dropped in 2025
- Italy sweatshop probe snares more luxury brands (FashionUnited, 2025) · search the archive · Milan prosecutors asked Prada and 12 other brands for documents in December 2025; not formally investigated
- Prada terminates 222 suppliers over compliance violations (FashionUnited, 2026) · archived copy · 222 suppliers terminated over five years after 850+ inspections since 2020; figures confirmed by Prada
Published by Prada or its owner
- Prada Group Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · About 450 manufacturing suppliers: 91% Italy, 5% other EU, 4% non-EU; 25 owned factories; 188 audits; pay checked against legal requirements
- Prada Group Suppliers List · search the archive · Publishes suppliers and group industrial sites list; 87% of industrial suppliers in Italy
- Prada Group - Who We Are (December 2025) · search the archive · 15,529 employees excluding Versace; 25 industrial facilities, 23 in Italy
Company details
- Owned by
- Prada S.p.A. (Prada Group)
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Employees
- About 15,500
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Prada ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/prada, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means
Better-graded luxury and designer
No luxury and designer brand selling new goods is Good yet. 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 Prada.