Versace
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Milan luxury fashion house.
Versace publishes no supplier list or independent audits, which Italian fashion needs before we presume a living wage, because Milan prosecutors have found luxury brands' subcontractors exploiting migrant workers.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- 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 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Met: Respects worker rights
- 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 and leather
Red flags 1
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
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 Versace'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, Jackets & coats, Pants & trousers, Jeans, T-shirts, Knitwear, Underwear, Swimwear, Sneakers, Shoes, Sandals & thongs, Bags & backpacks: Lacks transparency, the same as Versace 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
Versace names some of the countries it makes in: Italy. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| BangladeshUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well 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
What we found
- Modern slavery statement
- Being made in Italy doesn't count towards a living wage or audit here: Italian fashion and leather goods, where Milan prosecutors have found luxury brands' subcontractors exploiting migrant workers. It would need to publish its suppliers or have them independently audited. 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.
- 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 Versace buys its own raw materials and sends them to independent manufacturers; most production is in Italy, with the rest elsewhere in Europe and small shares in North Africa and Asia. No shares or factory list are published. Under Capri Holdings, contractors faced independent third-party audits against a supplier code. Prada, its owner since December 2025, audits suppliers with an internal team and has not yet brought Versace into its modern slavery reporting. There is no living wage commitment, and Versace has been named in a 2025 Milan probe into subcontractor exploitation.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Company profile records the 2025 Italian labour abuse probe and supplier job losses; Fashion Checker found no public evidence its suppliers pay a living wage. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Covered by Capri Holdings' UK modern slavery statements until 2025; Prada Group's 2025 statement leaves Versace out and says it may be included next year. View |
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 ordered Versace and 12 other luxury brands to hand over audit and supply chain documents in a probe into alleged heavy exploitation of Chinese migrant workers at subcontracted workshops; no findings have been made (BHRRC, 2025). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Italy investigation finds heavy exploitation of Chinese workers at subcontractors of 13 luxury brands (BHRRC) · search the archive · December 2025 Milan prosecutors' document requests to Versace and others; allegations, no findings yet
- Versace company profile (BHRRC) · search the archive · Allegations listed; Fashion Checker found no evidence of living wages in supply chain
- Capri Holdings Form 10-K, Fiscal 2025 · search the archive · Vast majority of Versace production in Italy, rest in Europe, small part Asia/North Africa; ready-to-wear, footwear and accessories ranges
- Prada Group says it has purchased fashion rival Versace (AP via ABC7) · search the archive · Deal closed December 2025 for EUR 1.25bn; Versace leather bags to be made at Prada's Scandicci factory
Published by Versace or its owner
- Capri Holdings Modern Slavery Statement FY2023 · search the archive · Versace raw materials sent to third-party manufacturers; independent third-party audits of contractors; no living wage commitment
- Prada Group Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · Versace excluded from 2025 statement; Prada supplier audits run by internal team; 91% of manufacturing suppliers in Italy
Company details
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Versace ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/versace, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded luxury and designer
No luxury and designer brand selling new goods is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. 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 Versace.