In August 2008, workers at a small Indonesian factory that has been producing underwear for Pierre Cardin for over a decade, reported serious violations of their rights by the factory management. When they protested against the unfair dismissal of their union leader, 413 of them were sacked. When the sacked workers asked for their jobs back the conflict went from bad to worse, and Pierre Cardin refused to intervene.

Brands owned by this company are listed in Human Society International Australia's Better Wool Guide as using 100% non-mulesed wool from a robust certification scheme, or has a time-bound commitment to do so. Mulesing is the controversial practice of removing strips of the skin of a lamb's rear and is often done without pain relief. In Australia, the only country where mulesing still occurs, an estimated 10 million merino lambs are subjected to mulesing each year - equivalent to 19 lambs per minute.

Texim, a Turkish textile factory that produces clothing for Hugo Boss and Pierre Cardin, accepted the key union demands (after four months of campaigning) for reinstatement of dismissed workers on increased wages, salary for the picketing period and compensation for workers who chose not to return.