Made in Italy, by Chinese workers

[mikedt]

Made in Italy, by Chinese workers | Reuters.com

There are nearly 5,000 workshops run by Chinese immigrants in Prato, which largely turn out cheap clothing for fast-fashion companies in Italy and across Europe.

When paying a lot of money for that Armani, Prada, Versace, Gucci or whatever. "Made in Italy" or "Made in China" doesn't make a lot of difference apparently, a sweatshop is a sweatshop. Mass producing apparel has often been a crappy job wherever it's done.

 

[Rukbat]

New York's Garment District used to be "the place" for fashion (back in the 60s and before). It was also if not the birthplace of the fashion sweatshop, one of the first places to be that way. The Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire, back in 1911 wasn't the beginning of locking girls up in factories for 12 hour days, it had been going on for a LONG time before that. It was considered normal in those days. Workers were just parts you used to produce your goods, and they were as replaceable as sewing machine needles.

Seems that nothing's changed except the numbers on the calendar.

 

[mikedt]

When a country starts developing, making clothes is usually the first thing they start with, and the perhaps move into technology or something later on. Just need a building, sewing machines and a lot of busy hands, that's very much it. I've noticed with Walmart/Asda "George" clothing, most of it is made in Bangladesh now*, rather than China. China started with clothes and cheap toys when it first opened up in 1980.

* We've probably all heard about horrible things happening there like building collapses and fires, mostly involving apparel factories/sweatshops.

"Made in Italy" will always carry more prestige than "Made in Bangladesh" or "Made in China", especially when paying a high price for an item. Sure that's why Apple does the "Designed in California....." thing.

In fact I've seen similar things on some high ticket designer apparel as well. something like "Designed in London" "made in China"


Something you'll often see on US retail sites for designer brands, like Armani or Ralph Lauren. is just "imported" if it comes from a country like China, Bangladesh, India or Vietnam. However if something comes from the US, Italy or the UK, they'll state something like "Made in Italy", even though it's made by Chinese in a cheap labour sweatshop.

 

[unnamedny]

Oh, my god what an issue. It does not matter where its made. what matters is the quality. It could be made in a sewer for all I care.

We are a multicultural nation and I had things done by legal immigrants who live here for quite not that long. You do not by strawberries and hate it because it was collected by Mexicans in Arizona. I have awesome things which were made in foreign contries and who made it really does not matter.

If someone really want to fight it, don't go after workers, go after businessmen who employ them. Same way in USA, just make E-verify mandatory and give a path to citizenship whoever deserves it. That means who have never been convicted of crime, speak english, paid taxes, have good morals.

 

[mikedt]

Oh, my god what an issue. It does not matter where its made. what matters is the quality. It could be made in a sewer for all I care.

We are a multicultural nation and I had things done by legal immigrants who live here for quite not that long. You do not by strawberries and hate it because it was collected by Mexicans in Arizona. I have awesome things which were made in foreign contries and who made it really does not matter.

If someone really want to fight it, don't go after workers, go after businessmen who employ them. Same way in USA, just make E-verify mandatory and give a path to citizenship whoever deserves it. That means who have never been convicted of crime, speak english, paid taxes, have good morals.

Sure the issue here is, that's not culture, race or creed, is that much of what goes on in Prato, Italy is in fact illegal under EU law, 14 hour days, substandard conditions, tax evasion, smuggling, improper or no documentation, etc. And the large designer corporations like Armani, Gucci, et-al are turning a blind eye to it, that they're just interested in profits, preserving the prestigious "Made in Italy" brand, and nothing else IMO. There's many factories in China that have much better conditions than what's shown in this story.

Sure same thing happens in America as well, except it's Mexican workers(often illegal) rather than Chinese. So that the corporations can say "Made in USA" while still maintaining a handsome profit

 

[Rukbat]

And in a lot of cases, just the finishing touch (maybe one button in the case of apparel) is done in the US, but US law says that this makes it legal for them to put "Made in the USA" legal. Many of our cars used to be made in Canada, but finished (like the hub caps put on) in the US.