Where luxury goods are actually made, what the labels mean, and whether “Made in” tells the whole story.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 1 November 2026
On this page: Italy and France · The label · The Ayerhs view
Italy and France
Where are most luxury goods made?
Italy is the manufacturing heart of luxury. Its networks of family-run workshops and factories produce much of the world’s luxury leather goods, shoes, knitwear and clothing, for Italian houses and for French ones too. France is known above all for couture, its own leather workshops (such as those of Hermès and Louis Vuitton), perfume and fine jewellery.
Which Italian regions make luxury goods?
- Tuscany, around Florence: leather goods and bags
- Veneto and the Riviera del Brenta: luxury shoes
- Marche: shoes and leather
- Biella, Piedmont: fine wool fabrics
- Como, Lombardy: silk
Do French luxury brands make things in Italy?
Yes, widely. Many French houses have their bags, shoes and ready-to-wear made in Italy, in their own factories or by Italian suppliers, because that is where the specialist skills and supply chains are.
The label
What does “Made in Italy” actually mean?
Under EU rules, a product’s origin is generally where its last substantial transformation took place. That means materials or parts can come from elsewhere and the product can still be labelled Made in Italy or Made in France if the key manufacturing happened there.
Is “Made in Italy” always ethical?
Not always. Since 2024, Milan prosecutors have investigated several major luxury houses over subcontracted workshops in Italy where workers were found in poor conditions, and courts placed some of the houses’ Italian manufacturing units under temporary judicial administration. The cases showed that a prestigious label does not guarantee how something was made.
Are luxury goods made in India or China?
Some are, and more than many shoppers realise: Indian ateliers produce embroidery for couture houses, and some luxury accessories, knitwear and components are made in Asia and Eastern Europe. Quality depends on the workshop, not the country.
Read on Ayerhs: The petites mains and the métiers d’art · What is an atelier?
The Ayerhs view
Does “Made in” matter?
Less than who made it and how. The real luxury question is whether skilled people were paid fairly and given time to do their best work.
← Luxury · The Library