7 Luxury Brands Leading Transparency in 2023

For the first time, only two out of 250 major fashion brands scored 80% or higher in the Fashion Transparency Index, with Italian luxury house Gucci being one of them, starkly contrasting with the industry's dismal 26% average. A high-end brand's achievement indicates that significant disclosure is attainable, challenging the widespread opacity across the sector.

Consumers often associate luxury fashion with high quality and ethical standards, but the industry's average transparency score is a mere 26%, revealing a widespread failure to disclose basic supply chain information. A significant disconnect between brand image and actual practice is suggested, leaving consumers with an illusion of ethical production. For more, see our Luxury Fashion's 2026 Ethical Production.

The pressure for transparency will intensify, forcing more luxury brands to either genuinely disclose their practices or risk losing market share to more accountable competitors. As awareness grows, premium prices will increasingly require verifiable proof of ethical production.

In 2023, the Fashion Transparency Index - Fashion Revolution reviewed 250 of the world's largest fashion brands and retailers. The global fashion industry achieved an overall average transparency score of 26%, an increase of only 2% from the 2022 index. Minimal progress indicates that most brands are making negligible strides, making high-scoring outliers significant. While the overall fashion industry struggles with transparency, a few leading brands, including a luxury house, are demonstrating that high levels of disclosure are achievable, setting a new benchmark for ethical production.

The Depth of Disclosure: Beyond First Tiers

• 52% — of 250 major brands reviewed are disclosing their first-tier supplier lists, according to Fashion Revolution. A willingness to show the immediate production partners is indicated.
• 40% — of 250 brands published their first-tier manufacturers in 2020, an increase from 35% in 2019, according to Fashion Revolution. A slow but consistent improvement in disclosing direct manufacturing partners is shown.
• 24% — of 250 brands published some of their processing facilities in 2020, up from 19% in 2019, according to Fashion Revolution. The decreasing transparency as the supply chain extends beyond immediate production is highlighted.
• 7% — of 250 brands published some of their raw material suppliers in 2020, up from 5% in 2019, according to Fashion Revolution. A dramatic drop reveals a strategic opacity, suggesting brands actively conceal the origins of their core materials, obscuring the full environmental and social impact of production.