Skechers
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Based on what Skechers publishes, with few independent checks. Researched with AI assistance against published rules. Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources · How we check
Californian footwear company selling casual and walking shoes.
In 2024, the United States blacklisted a shoe supplier Skechers kept using, which took in Uyghurs transferred under forced labour conditions. Skechers didn't act on it.
Better-graded footwear
Graded higher than Skechers, 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.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements, with 4 red flags.Open why it has this gradeClose why it has this grade
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries, forced or child labour and a failing or very low rating (Ethical Fashion Report 21/100 in 2026). 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 that it didn't act on: forced labour link, last recorded in 2024.
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
- Not 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
- Met: High-risk raw materials (cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeOnly in a few products: cotton
Red flags 4
- 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: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
- Red flag: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: Ethical Fashion Report 21/100 (2026)
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
China, Vietnam, Bangladesh and 5 more countries.Open where it's madeClose where it's made
Skechers names some of the countries it makes in: China and Vietnam. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| BangladeshUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| 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
1 confirmed issue, 2 things we found and what 3 independent sources say.Open the evidenceClose the evidence
What we found
- Uses cotton in only a few products, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good. It doesn't show where its cotton comes from. The "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes Skechers owns no factories; its shoes are made by independent contract manufacturers in Asia, mostly in China and Vietnam, and the top five make about 42% of its purchases. It publishes no factory list, no country breakdown and no living wage commitment, and its audits are mainly run by its own staff. It scored 21/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, 7% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index and 13/100 on KnowTheChain. A key shoe supplier was put on a US forced labour list in 2024. Skechers was taken private by 3G Capital in 2025.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion ReportAnother organisation's rating | Scored 21/100, failing | Scored 21 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), from public information only, after 22 in 2024. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution)Another organisation's rating | Scored 7% | Scored 7% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, well below the 26% average. View |
| US forced-labour import bans (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders) | Import ban | Skechers supplier Dongguan Oasis Shoes (Dongguan Luzhou Shoes) was added to the US UFLPA Entity List in June 2024 for taking in Uyghur workers transferred from Xinjiang. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Link through a supplierASPI's 2020 'Uyghurs for Sale' report found Uyghurs transferred under forced labour conditions to Skechers supplier Dongguan Luzhou Shoes, and the US government added the factory to its forced labour entity list in 2024. Source · archived copy | NoSkechers ran its own audits, said it found no forced labour and kept sourcing from the factory; no remedy for workers reported. |
Sources and actions
7 sources, company details, and how to send evidence or a right of reply.Open the sources and company detailsClose the sources and company details
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Skechers - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Ethical Fashion Report 2024 22/100; FTI 2023 7%; KnowTheChain 2023 13/100
- Ethical Fashion Guide 2026 (Baptist World Aid) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (11th edition, 138 companies): Skechers 21/100 from public information only
- Skechers USA Form 10-K, fiscal 2024 · search the archive · No owned factories; contract makers mainly in China and Vietnam; top five make 42.4% of purchases; about 20,100 staff
- DHS adds PRC-based seafood, aluminum and footwear entities to UFLPA Entity List (2024) · archived copy · Dongguan Oasis Shoes worked with XPCC to recruit and transfer Uyghurs out of Xinjiang to its Guangdong factory
- 3G Capital Completes Acquisition of Skechers (Business Wire, 2025) · search the archive · 3G Capital completed its acquisition of Skechers in September 2025
Published by Skechers or its owner
- Skechers USA statement on Uyghurs (March 2021) · search the archive · Confirms sourcing from Lu Zhou, which employs Uyghurs; Skechers audits found no forced labour
- Skechers social responsibility page · search the archive · Scheduled and unannounced factory audits; UK modern slavery statement; Mekong Club member; no supplier list
Company details
- Owned by
- 3G Capital
- Headquarters
- United States
- Employees
- About 20,100
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Skechers ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/skechers, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record 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 Skechers.
Choose a better-graded brand
22 brands in footwear are graded higher than Skechers.