On 27 September 2026, Asia Business Daily reported that Italian luxury house Gucci has started selling certain shoe models, including the new Drip sneaker, with a Made in China label confirmed on Gucci's official website and at its Paris store.
Drip is the first sneaker unveiled by creative director Demna. It uses a slip-on sock-like construction in nylon, canvas, and suede, priced around EUR 800 in Europe and about USD 1,000 in the United States. Leather slip-ons from the same Primavera collection are also labeled Made in China, while most other Gucci shoes on the site still show Made in Italy.
Gucci said production in China is limited to a few shoe models and should not be read as a full manufacturing shift. The company stated that Italy will continue to play a central role in its manufacturing model and brand identity, and that the Chinese manufacturer was chosen for the specific technical skills needed for these designs, comparable to using Swiss or Japanese partners for watches and eyewear. A spokesperson added there are no plans to move overall production outside Italy.
The report links the move to Gucci's weaker recent sales (about half over three years, per the article's foreign-media summary) and Kering restructuring, including store cuts and some price reductions. Berenberg analysts warned that shifting certain products from Italy to China could create tension between production origin and the luxury image Gucci is trying to restore.
For China sourcing desks, the useful signal is capability: premium brands are publicly citing Chinese technical know-how for demanding footwear constructions, which raises the bar for factory audits, sample iteration speed, and documented process control when competing for similar RFQs.