Labour Lens

Steve Madden

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Clothing & footwear

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources

New York brand selling shoes, handbags and accessories.

There's no proof Steve Madden pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and 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 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.

How grades are decided

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 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 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 (leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: leather

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 Steven Madden's countries across all its brands; Steve Madden doesn't say where its own products are made. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
CountryShareWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
China33%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
Cambodia13%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
BangladeshNot givenNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
VietnamNot givenSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
IndiaNot givenNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
MexicoNot givenRegular violationsBelow a living wageModerate
BrazilNot givenSystematic violationsBelow a living wageModerate
ItalyNot givenStrong protectionsClose to a living wageLow
TürkiyeUsual for the industry2%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageVery high
IndonesiaUsual for the industry2%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
PakistanUsual for the industry2%No guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageHigh

Evidence

What we found

  • Modern slavery statement
  • Uses little or no cotton (e.g. wool, linen or leather products)
  • Doesn't show where its leather comes from. Leather is linked to hazardous tannery work and forced labour on some cattle ranches, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.

Research notes Steve Madden owns no factories and buys from independent manufacturers: in 2025, 56% of group purchases came from China and 25% from Cambodia, with the rest from Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, India, Bangladesh, Italy and others. It does not publish a factory list. Its supplier code requires at least the legal minimum or industry wage and treats living wages only as a 'continuous improvement' goal, with no target or wage data. It reports factory assessments and training but no audit coverage figures, and only 25% of its European range used LWG-standard leather in 2023.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution)ListedScored 32.5 out of 250 (13%) in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index; Fashion Checker found no public evidence that its suppliers pay a living wage. View
UK Modern Slavery Statement RegistryListedFiled a 2024 UK modern slavery statement; the audits it reports were announced third-party audits arranged by suppliers, with no unannounced audits recorded. View
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreListedCompany profile records no labour abuse allegations or response requests. View

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources
  1. Steve Madden Ltd - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · search the archive · FTI 2023 score 32.5/250; no allegations recorded; no evidence of living wage
  2. Steven Madden, Ltd. Form 10-K FY2025 · search the archive · 2025 purchases: 56.1% China, 24.6% Cambodia; owns no foreign factories; about 6,300 employees; brands owned

Published by Steve Madden or its owner

  1. Steven Madden Supplier Code of Conduct 2.0 · search the archive · Requires minimum, industry or collectively bargained wage; living wage only a continuous-improvement aim; leather sourcing rules
  2. Steven Madden 2024 Modern Slavery Statement · search the archive · Products mainly made in China, Cambodia, Mexico, Brazil, Vietnam, India, Portugal, Italy, Tunisia; tier-one mapping under way
  3. Let's Change the Game - Steve Madden sustainability (UK) · search the archive · Leather used across range; 25% of European Steve Madden products used LWG-standard leather in 2023
  4. Let's Think About You - Steve Madden sustainability (UK) · search the archive · 94 factory assessments and training with 50 factories; no factory list or wage claims
  5. UK modern slavery statement summary 2025 · search the archive · 2024 statement; announced supplier-arranged third-party audits only

Company details

Headquarters
United States
Employees
About 6,300
Last researched
2 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Steve Madden ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/steve-madden, 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?

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