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Italy is one of the leading countries in the world for fashion design, but most of its big name brands have a way to go before being considered more ethical or sustainable. Here are the Italian brands doing better for people, the planet, and animals.
Discover the fashion hub’s most responsible brands
When you think of Italian fashion, you might imagine expert linen tailoring, beautiful fabrics, bold patterns inspired by Sicilian lemon groves, and luxury accessories. But not all the big Italian brands that have popularised those things are working sustainably. The good news is there are plenty that are doing the work to be more responsible, and in this list, we’re showcasing top-rated, more ethical and sustainable fashion brands from Italy. These brands are doing their part to ensure people, the planet, and animals don’t suffer in their production. But what does that mean, exactly?
What makes a brand ethical?
Simply put, a more sustainable brand makes sure it has a positive impact in every aspect of its work. Good On You rates brands on their policies and actions across three key sustainability pillars: people, planet, and animals.
Among the many things we look at (there are 100 key issues, in fact), is evidence that a brand’s workers are treated fairly across the supply chain, including policies and practices on child labour, forced labour, worker safety, the right to join a union, and payment of a living wage. We also look at resource and energy management, whether a brand is actively reducing its carbon emissions, managing its impact on our waterways, and using and disposing of chemicals safely.
Finally, we analyse the use of animal products like wool, leather, fur, angora, down feather, shearling, karakul, and exotic animal skin and hair. Ideally, the brand is 100% vegan.
We give each brand an overall rating which you’ll see throughout this list, but you can find out more about a brand’s rating on our directory.
Now you know what makes a more responsible brand, you might decide to shop from companies located in your country or region. Whether it is to support your community at home or reduce your carbon footprint when shopping online, shopping locally can have benefits.
So if you live in Italy or want to support Italian labels, read on to discover our list of “Good” and “Great”-rated fashion brands either based or producing in the region.
Curious about brands in other places? Check out our editors’ picks from:
- the USA (including California, LA, and New York)
- Canada
- Europe, Germany (including Berlin), Belgium, Spain and Portugal, Italy (including Milan), France (and Paris), the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark, and Switzerland
- London
- Australia and New Zealand
- India
- Japan
