Last month, we took a deep-dive into the ‘big four’ global fashion houses – Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Chanel – to find out where each stands on leather sourcing, tanning and traceability. But there are a handful more powerful fashion houses that are equally big players in the luxury leather market.
Whether it’s Bottega Veneta and its innovative techniques, Fendi and its famed ‘it’ bags or Valentino’s celeb-loved styles, we wonder: how transparent are fashion’s big hitters on their own leather sourcing?
A heritage Italian leather house dating back to 1966, Bottega Veneta is famous for its signature ‘intrecciato’ woven technique – introduced by the brand in the early 70s. The original quiet luxury brand, Bottega famously shied away from big logos when other designers such as Louis Vuitton and Chanel adopted them to stamp their leather goods. The house saw steady success until designer Daniel Lee took on the role of creative director, resurrecting the brand to a cult status known as ‘New Bottega’ with sell-out designs such as the Cassette bag. Matthieu Blazy (now Chanel’s new creative director) took over in 2021, bringing further innovation to the house – while today we await Louise Trotter’s first Bottega collection, which will no doubt showcase leather once more.
Traceability: Bottega is owned by parent company Kering, which, to its credit, has an extensive sustainability standards report – which Bottega states it adheres to. Kering states that it is aiming for “100% traceability of key raw materials” by 2025, which includes leather – it goes on to state that it will be tracing its hides, via its supplier, back to tanneries, slaughterhouses and countries of origin. Emphasis is placed on sustainable practices, animal welfare and regenerative agriculture. Kering does not state whether these traceability records will be made readily available to shoppers or in product descriptions. You can read the full report here.
Tanneries: Kering has a full chapter on preferred tanning practices in its sustainability report, stating it has a code of ethics for all suppliers, which tanneries must comply to. Its other requirements for this year include reducing water waste and increasing its use of metal-free tanned products, aiming to be metal-free during 2025. It states that it “encourages” its suppliers to seek LWG certification, but does not state this as a requirement. The report does not give detail on specific tanneries, but Kering is known to own several tanneries where it sources the majority of its leather – including France Croco (gold certified by LWG) and Caravel (silver certified by LWG).
Maison Valentino was founded in 1960 by Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti. Known for its bold, glamorous aesthetic, Valentino dressed iconic women such as Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Princess Diana, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor. Today, the house is famed for its statement ‘rockstud’ pieces and bold colour collections – as well as collaborations with stars such as Zendaya.
Traceability: The most up-to-date sustainability report we could find on Valentino’s website was from 2023. At that time, it stated that 70% of its raw materials were fully traceable, though there was no specific figure for leather. It states that it aims for 100% of its raw materials to be fully traceable by 2030 – though it doesn’t clarify specifics of this or whether these traceability records will be made available to shoppers or in product descriptions. It’s worth noting that Valentino is owned by Qatari investment group Mayhoola, which doesn’t appear to have its own sustainability policy at present. In 2023, Mayhoola sold a 30% share of Valentino to the Kering group, with a clause that may see Kering acquire 100% by 2028. This would most likely see Valentino adopt Kering’s own sustainability strategies.
Tanneries: According to Valentino, in 2023 over 80% of the tanneries supplying Valentino were aligned to Leather Working Group standards. The brand does not state which specific tanneries it works with.
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Founded in 1913, Prada is one of Italy’s most famous fashion houses – which originally produced solely leather goods. Back then, it was launched by Mario Prada, though it wasn’t until his granddaughter Miuccia Prada joined the business that the brand hit the runways with ready-to-wear and cult accessories. Since then, Prada has maintained a powerful presence on models, celebrities and in popular culture.
Traceability: The Prada Group, which owns Prada as well as sister brand Miu Miu and a handful of other fashion brands, states that it is “working to improve the traceability of its leather supply chain”. In its 2023 sustainability report, the group shared that it had traced 82% of all its purchased leather back to the slaughter stage – though the report only shares the country of slaughter rather than specific farms and slaughterhouses. The group aims for 95% of its leather to be sourced from tanneries affiliated with the Institute of Quality Certification for the Leather Sector (ICEC) by 2026, which traces back hides to their origin countries. The Prada group does not state whether these traceability records will be made clear in product descriptions.
Tanneries: Like the other fashion conglomerates we have researched, The Prada Group owns shares in several leather tanneries including Tannerie Limoges in France (LWG audited) and Conceria Superia in Italy (LWG silver-rated). It states that in 2023, 90% of its leathers were sourced from LWG certified or audited tanneries. It does not discuss the methods of tanning used for its leathers, or whether it is aiming to introduce chrome-free leather.
The house of Fendi was established by Adele and Edoardo Fendi in Rome in 1925. The brand’s first boutique was a handbag shop and fur workshop, and continues to use animal furs in its collections to this day. Fendi is well known for its signature ‘FF’ logo – introduced by former artistic director Karl Lagerfeld – and its famed ‘it’ bags such as the Baguette and the Peekaboo.
Traceability: Fendi notes traceability as one of its core aims for responsible leather sourcing, though doesn’t go into much specific detail on how this will be achieved. As an LVMH majority-owned brand, Fendi references the group’s 2023 environmental report, which states that 96% of leathers purchased have a known country of origin. It does not go into any detail about farms or slaughterhouses, and doesn’t state any aims to make this information readily available to the public.
Tanneries: In 2023, Fendi stated that 98% of its leather was sourced from LWG certified suppliers – and committed to 75% of this coming from silver or gold-rate tanneries. We cannot find any updated figures for 2024, nor any specific tanneries referenced, though it is likely that Fendi relies mainly on LVMH-owned tanneries – which are all LWG certified or audited.
Another of Italy’s most famous fashion houses, Gucci was founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci, who started out making saddlery before moving into luxurious leather goods and luggage when cars became more widely available. Today, the brand is recognised for its ‘horsebit’ buckles and interlinking Gucci logo, and has seen success under creative directors such as Tom Ford, Frida Giannini and Alessandro Michele.
Traceability: In 2023, Gucci stated that it aims to achieve 100% traceability of leather to the country of farming in 2025. It says that it already achieved 100% traceability to the country of slaughterhouse in 2023 – it doesn’t mention specific farms or slaughterhouses. As another brand owned by Kering, Gucci refers customers to Kering’s sustainability standards in its own reports. You can read the full report here.
Tanneries: Gucci has stated that it aims to use 100% chrome-free leather by 2025. The brand has a subsidiary, Gucci Logistica, also owned by Kering, which manages the design, development and production of Gucci products. In 2024, Gucci Logistica purchased an 100% stake in Colonna Group – owner of three large Italian tanneries which were already key suppliers of Gucci. These are the Marbella Pellami (LWG bronze certified), Conceria 800 (LWG gold certified) and Falco Pellami (LWG gold certified) tanneries. It is not known what percentage of Gucci’s leather comes from these tanneries, but it is most likely a majority.
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