cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/497258
Italian prosecutors investigate luxury brands Dior, Armani for “Made In Italy” products actually made by subcontractors within the European country exploiting low-cost Chinese labor
Italian prosecutors investigated the local supply chains of two major Italian fashion houses. Their investigation found that some designer handbags are manufactured by exploited foreign labor.
Investigators interviewed workers from one of Armani’s subsidiaries, GA Operations, which hired a number of Chinese-owned subcontractors across Italy. These subcontractors paid migrant workers a few euros per hour.
Prosecutors allege that some of the luxury handbags made by the fashion houses’ suppliers with the “Made in Italy” stamp are actually made in sweatshops within the European country, employing low-cost Chinese labor. They say many of the sweatshops fall extremely short of legal workshop codes.
The Dior probe revealed that its four small suppliers employed 32 staff who worked around Milan. Two of the staff were immigrants who entered Italy illegally. Seven staff worked without proper documentation. The report stated that the staff worked “in health and hygiene conditions that are below the minimum required ethical approach.”
Meanwhile, data mapping of the facilities’ electricity consumption revealed unbridled day and night production cycles, even during the holidays. Additionally, investigators found safety devices were removed from machinery to get faster operations.
While Dior itself is not under criminal investigation, the contractors are under the radar. The Armani investigation also revealed similar violations.
I have to wonder, how hard would it actually be to set up one of these ‘luxury’ brand names with 1000% markups and use it to Robin Hood the crap out of a bunch of people with too much money. Pay for the local school renovation via profits off some of those people too high on their own farts to notice those around them.
I think it depends on the marketing in the end. Even if it’s expensive, if it’s not known it probably won’t sell as much as you hope. If I’m proved wrong I’d like to know to give it a try of course heh. But I do think many of those brands survive on the rich knowing them to parade around, even if they’re not known by sight due to non displayed logos.
If you want to target the new rich, then it needs to be high profile and flashy I assume.
I’ve thought about launching an anti woke brand and doing it, but the amount of hate I’d need to surround myself by would not be good for the soul