Investigations reveal how cashmere jackets and €2,000 handbags may be stitched in workshops paying €4 an hour, challenging luxury’s ethical image
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or years shoppers have been aware of scandals about the origins of cheap clothing sold in high street stores. Garment industry workers who make clothes for leading brands have been beaten for asking for living wages and notes pleading for help have been found hidden in clothing. There have also been stories about hidden child labour and some workers in UK factories are feared to be trapped in modern slavery.
Now after a series of labour investigations by Milanese prosecutors, the luxury fashion industry is fast coming under similar scrutiny.
Last week, Loro Piana, the 100-year-old Italian brand that sells four-figure cashmere jumpers and whose “quiet luxury” aesthetic had been championed by celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow and worn by the super-rich characters in the TV show Succession, was placed under a 12-month court administration over alleged worker exploitation.
