Italian police seek governance documents from 13 fashion firms in labour abuse probe
MILAN, Dec 4 (Reuters) – Italian police visited the headquarters of 13 top fashion firms on Wednesday and asked them to hand over documents on governance and supply chain controls as part of an investigation into allegations of labor abuse at fashion subcontractors, judicial documents showed.
Among the brands that received document production orders are Dolce & Gabbana, Gianni Versace, Prada, Adidas Italy, Off-White Operating, Missoni, Ferragamo, Givenchy Italia, Alexander McQueen Italia, Guccio Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent Manifatture, Cris Conf. (Pinko) and Coccinelle.
None of those companies are under investigation, according to orders seen by Reuters, and prosecutors have not sought to impose court-appointed administration on any of them.
In the last two years, five more high-end fashion groups have been placed under this administration, and the same action has been requested for a sixth in a series of cases that have tarnished the image of some of the biggest names in the industry.
The 13 brands were included in the investigation because police also found clothing and subcontracting documents related to these other labels during dozens of searches of Chinese-owned workshops, which led Milan prosecutors to seek or impose judicial management on six companies.
Wednesday’s operation was led by the Carabinieri work unit in Milan, with support from officers in Florence, Parma and Varese.
The documents show that prosecutors did not seek court-appointed administration for the 13 people because the quantity of products found in the Chinese workshops inspected was smaller.
The requests are intended to allow prosecutors to evaluate the extent to which the 13 companies were involved in the use of exploited labor and whether their compliance and governance models were adequate to prevent abuse, according to judicial documents reviewed by Reuters.
After submitting the requested material, the 13 companies will be able to solve the identified problems on their own initiative by adjusting their organizational models.
If they fail to do so, Milan prosecutors reserve the right to take further preventive or precautionary measures, the documents show. (Reporting by Emilio Parodi, Editing by Keith Weir)
