Valentino
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Italian luxury house selling ready-to-wear and handbags.
In 2025, a Milan court found Valentino failed to oversee subcontractors whose workers ran machines day and night and slept on site.
Also worth knowing
Valentino has only partly put this right.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Valentino? Send a right of reply.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 3 of 7 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has a red flag for clear breaches of labour conditions. On Track needs no forced or child labour, clear labour breaches or failing independent ratings.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: labour rights breach, last recorded in 2025.
Good requirements 3 of 7
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in Italy and Spain are close to a living wage, not checked at the company
- Not met: Respects worker rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: labour rights breach, last recorded in 2025
- 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
- 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, leather, natural rubber, silk and cashmere) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
Red flags 1
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
Italy has the largest share, 94%. India is next, at 4%.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 94% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| India | 4% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Albania | 1% | Systematic violations | Not rated | Very high |
| Spain | 1% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- "Made in Italy and Spain" 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. Source
- 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 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 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 Valentino says Italian suppliers make up 90% of its sourcing; shares use its 2025 audit split by country (Italy 93%, India 4%, Albania 1%, Spain 0.7%). An external partner ran 262 supplier audits in 2025 and found problems at 81% of sites; 18% of those suppliers were dropped. It said in 2023 it had published a first-tier supplier list, but no current list is linked. No living wage commitment or wage data is published. In 2025 a court found its bag-making unit failed to police exploitative subcontractors.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | A Milan court placed Valentino Bags Lab, which makes Valentino's bags, under judicial administration in May 2025 over subcontractor exploitation; it ended early in 2026. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Records the Milan court's finding that Valentino culpably failed to oversee suppliers whose workers, including migrants, faced rights abuses. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Scored 18% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, below the 26% average. 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 | In 2025 a Milan court put Valentino Bags Lab under administration, finding it culpably failed to oversee Chinese-run subcontractors where workers ran machines day and night, slept on site and some were undeclared (The Fashion Law, 2025). Source · archived copy | PartlyValentino tightened supplier selection and governance; the court ended administration early in 2026. No pay to affected workers reported. |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Valentino SpA - ethical.org.au · search the archive · FTI 2023 score 18/100; owned 70% by Mayhoola and 30% by Kering
- Court ends judicial administration for Valentino subsidiary (FashionUnited, 2026) · search the archive · Administration ordered May 2025, ended early; Valentino strengthened governance and supplier selection
- Valentino releases its first sustainability report (Leatherbiz, 2023) · search the archive · 151 audits covering 90% of Italian suppliers in 2022; first-tier supplier list published in 2023
- Cheap Bags, Labor Abuses: Made in Italy Continues to Face Scrutiny (The Fashion Law) · archived copy · Court found Valentino Bags Lab culpably failed to supervise suppliers; 67 workers checked, 9 off the books; day and night work
- Valentino Garavani Open leather sneakers (Mytheresa) · search the archive · Calf leather upper, rubber sole (minor rubber use); made in Italy
Published by Valentino or its owner
- Valentino Group Sustainability Report 2025 · search the archive · Italy 90% of sourcing; 262 external audits in 2025 (93% Italy, 4% India); 95%+ leather from LWG suppliers; silk and cashmere key materials
Company details
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Employees
- About 4,164
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Valentino ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/valentino, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
Better-graded bags and accessories
None of the bags and accessories brands we know to make shoes is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. Joyya, The Social Studio and 7 more are Good, but we don't know that they make shoes. 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 Valentino.