[2] In the 1985 Robert Zemeckis movie, Back to the Future, Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) wore Guess's denim clothing.

Guess also created a lower priced collection sold exclusively through its outlet locations, and introduced its first brand extension, the upscale female line of clothing and accessories, named Marciano.

[14] In 1992, Guess contractors faced litigation from the US Department of Labor (DOL) due to failure to pay their employees the minimum wage or adequate overtime.

[17] Guess earned a place on the labor department's 'Trendsetters List', but this position was suspended several years later in 1996 after independent inspectors found violations of regulations at seven of the company's contractors.

[18] In the same year, the company was sued by the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE), again due to the failure to pay the minimum wage or overtime to workers.

"[21] Eventually, Guess countered with a defamation suit against UNITE and several of its officials, while in 1997 the company ran full-page ads in many major American newspapers claiming that its contractors were "guaranteed 100% free of sweatshop labour".

[citation needed] A December 2023 report funded by the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats found Guess's Chinese supplier had connections to forced Uyghur labor.

[22] In 2005, Guess pulled a line of T-shirts from the market after Erika Becker-Medina,[23] a D.C. area resident and government employee, spearheaded a campaign calling for the boycott of the company.

In May 2023, it was revealed that Guess had bought a 30% stake in its Russian partner, Vyacheslav Shikulov's local business, with approval from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

[27] In 2022, Banksy posted on Instagram and encouraged his fans to steal items from a Guess clothing store, alleging the company used his images without permission.

[29] In 2024, a lawsuit was filed against Guess, accusing the brand of stealing the intellectual property of several street artists for its "graffiti inspired" clothing line.

The suit was filed in California’s Central District and concerns Guess's alleged use of the tags of both Sean Griffin ("Nekst") and Robin Ronn ("Bates").