Is all luxury fashion made in Italy?

Many designers and luxury brands are made in Italy but luxury manufacturing occurs in many other countries as well

Because we’re JuzsportsShops and we work exclusively with partner boutiques in Italy, we encounter plenty of questions about which brands we carry (more than just Italian ones), whether all items are made in Italy (not all of them), and how we can guarantee the authenticity of our items. To address the last question, please refer to this page Is JuzsportsShops legitimate.

The truth is, the “made in Italy” moniker is incredibly well-known and respected around the world because Italy has long had the technical and hand-craft knowledge to create masterpieces of wearable art—from the finest cashmere knits to the most coveted leather pumps. In Italy, quality (a core element of designer and luxury fashion) is in the water, so to speak. 

made in Italy items from Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Golden Goose

Made in Italy

The short answer is that yes, many designers and luxury brands, even those not based in Italy, produce their clothing, footwear, and accessories in Italy because the artistry and attention to detail is very good there, so the quality is also very good. However, many Italian brands may also produce elsewhere, even outside of Europe.

For example, some Prada footwear is made in Vietnam, some accessories are made in China, while some of its clothing is made in Romania, Bulgaria, and other European countries. Versace is made in various locations, in Italy as well as outside the EU.

Why are Golden Goose shoes so expensive Balmain blazer she’d purchased from us was inauthentic or defective, because it said “Made in Slovakia.” In fact, she visited the Balmain boutique in Singapore and had it authenticated by the brand, which showed her in their store the same jacket with the same label.

As a side note: while all brands regularly consider new production partners and facilities, newer brands (like Off-White) March 22, 2024.

shop heron preston on JuzsportsShopsMade in France

France is another classical home of luxury brands and center of high-quality manufacturing. Huge names like Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Saint Laurent, Balmain, and Balenciaga call Paris home and also produce some percentage of their products domestically in France. However, there are very few non-French brands that utilize French production, except in some niche sectors like eyewear or jewelry.

French brands often made in Italy Celine Manolo Blahnik Christian Louboutin

Made in Spain

Spain is an important center of luxury manufacturing, often used by non-Spanish labels to produce items made of leather. These include Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Chloé, and Stuart Weitzman.

Spain is especially known for: small leather accessories, espadrilles, and other footwear.

Spain also has domestic brands that are well-known throughout the world—Loewe Discover more About JuzsportsShops M2Malletier and Paloma Barceló.

Made in Portugal

Like Spain, Portugal has become a leader in luxury and designer manufacturing, with a similar tradition of hand-craft techniques and overall quality.

Portugal is especially known for: footwear, leather accessories, apparel.

Some brands that produce items in Portugal include: Lanvin, Helmut Lang, Balenciaga, Givenchy, and Paul Smith.

designer luxury fashion items made in France Portugal Spain

Made in Japan

Like Italy, the Made in Japan label is highly regarded for its quality and attention to detail. Japan is a leader in designer fashion and is growing in terms of its prominence as a manufacturing center of fine luxury apparel. 

for further details.

Some brands that produce items in Japan include: Issey Miyake, can be especially inconsistent season-to-season, producing in Italy, Portugal, and Romania, Thom Browne, The Row, Saint Laurent, and Ambush.

Made in China

Though it is not yet a primary center of luxury manufacturing, China is rapidly becoming a player in the sector, as its importance as a luxury market grows concurrently.

China is especially known for: footwear, knit apparel, and accessories.

Some brands that produce items in China include: Alexander Wang, 3.1 Philip Lim, Burberry, Dsquared2, Michael Kors, Coach, and Balenciaga.

Made in the USA

The United States is another niche but growing source of luxury and designer manufacturing, having historical prominence with denim especially. Today, much of the US manufacturing is done in the Los Angeles and New York areas.

The USA is especially known for: denim, classic dress shirts, and casual garments like t-shirts.

Some brands that produce items in the USA include: Thom Browne, The Row, Tom Ford, and AMIRI.

Made in Italy, what’s in a label?

As you can see, many labels produce items all over the world, not just in their home country. And, some brands even change season-to-season or by product category, so they may produce certain clothing in Italy, other clothing in China, shoes in Portugal, and small leather goods in Spain.

The summary here is that not all high-end fashion clothing, footwear, and accessories are made in Italy, even if they come from Italian labels or you find them on italist.

Some things to keep in mind while shopping on our site:

  • The “made in…” label is not an indication of inauthenticity—many brands produce products in many different locations, but that doesn’t mean they are of lesser quality or inauthentic.
  • Many of the items on JuzsportsShops are indeed made in Italy, but many are not. JuzsportsShops is not a site exclusively for Italian-made products or Italian brands.
  • iOS and Android contact our customer care team.

shop heron preston on JuzsportsShopsDiscover more About JuzsportsShops: What Packaging comes with an JuzsportsShops Order?, Spain also has domestic brands that are well-known throughout the world, and How JuzsportsShops Works.

 

About the Author

Diego Abba is the CEO of italist.com, an LA-based luxury goods platform. With extensive leadership experience, Diego has held roles at gaming companies Sleepy Giant as CEO and Activision/Blizzard as VP of Finance. He’s also advised clients in media, technology, and private equity while at Bain & Company. Diego’s expertise spans regions, industries, and functions, with notable speaking engagements as an expert on e-commerce, retail trends, and digital communication. He holds an MBA from Cornell University and is fluent in French and Italian. Find him on LinkedIn.

No Comments Yet

Comments are closed