The Loophole That Lets Your Italian Suit Be Made In China

The Loophole That Lets Your Italian Suit Be Made In China A Loro Piana jacket on a rack in Milan retails for $9,000. The label reads Made in Italy. According to court records filed in 2024 and 2025, that label can apply to a garment assembled in an unregistered workshop in Lombardy by undocumented workers paid €4 an hour. This is the story of the legal loophole that lets it happen — and the brands that have already been caught using it. In this episode of The Luxury Meltdown: — What "Made in Italy" actually requires under Italian and EU law — The 2024–2025 Milan court rulings against Loro Piana, Manufactures Dior, Giorgio Armani Operations, Valentino Bags Lab, Alviero Martini, and Tod's — Why prosecutor Paolo Storari has sent information requests to 13 more brands — including Gucci, Prada, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, Ferragamo, Dolce & Gabbana, Missoni, Off-White, Pinko, Coccinelle, and Adidas Italy — The Wenzhou–Prato connection that goes back to the 1990s — The journey of one jacket — Peruvian Andes shearers paid $280/kg → Biella's mills → a Lombardy basement → a $9,000 boutique price tag The label is not lying. It's just not telling you what you think it is. Sources pinned in the comments. #LuxuryMeltdown #MadeInItaly #LoroPiana #LuxuryFashion #FashionScandal #MadeInItalyLoophole Bloomberg Businessweek — LVMH's Loro Piana Relies on Free Labor in Peru for $9,000 Vicuña Sweaters (Mar 2024) https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2024-lvmh-loro-pia