Fashion Scandal in Italy- the Fashion Mafia

[StellaMare]

400 euros and up for a bag that cost 20 euros to produce? That's a lot worse than I thought

 

[gius]

even 20 euro to produce a bag is still too little
i might be able to do that using cheap material
but it still doesn't cover the labour hours

 

[Acid]

this is true of EVERY editor at EVERY fashion magazine...

for the record...
the publisher does not ALLOW them to freelance...
it actually is in most contracts that they CANNOT...
but they all do it anyway...

and they would be using those clothes in their editorials anyway...because they advertise in the magazines...and we already KNOW that magazines cater to advertisers more than anyone else..

it's not some big dirty secret...
it's a fairly well known and public fact....
it's just that most people don't care that much...
as long as the magazine does well...
it may even mean that the magazine gets EXTRA advertisers BECAUSE the designer is working with an editor there....

so everyone basically just looks the other way...

and as far as the cheap labour black market stuff...
did we really think it was only the GAP and H&M who was doing this sort of stuff???

what exactly is new info here?...
...

LOL! i find it hard to believe that editors have contracts that they cannot freelance... that is how they make their money after all...

and of corse,,, it does make sense that if a stylist is styling a campaign, they will get the brand to advertise in the magazine and get them a good spot, and also use their clothes in the editorials.
for people who don't know... magazines are practically FORCED to put some items from advertisers collections into an editorial. advertisers are known to pull out of they feel that they are not being supported by the magazine. which makes sence no? and of corse, the more a magazine supports a brand, the higher rate of advertising they will pay!

if you remember in the devil wears prada, at the run through Miranda says 'where are all the advertisers'!

thats all.

 

[uhdinger]

The usual profit margins for luxury clothing is 52% while it is more than 80% for fragrances, leather products and bags.

 

[kristi_b]

and as far as the cheap labour black market stuff...
did we really think it was only the GAP and H&M who was doing this sort of stuff???

what exactly is new info here?...
...

I agree about the ed's, it's just dirty business as usual. However, as far as black market labor, sweat shops, etc..., I don't think you can just take it in stride and still support the organizations that abuse the system. Prada has been accused of this several times before. The profit margins are insane. The people that sell fakes on the streets of Rome, or NYC, are no more a lowlife than the people that run the House's that use these illegal forms of labor. I'd rather my support go to those with genuine integrity.

 

[fourboltmain]

the things is, most the SA's in these stores actually, genuinely...don't have a clue about what they're selling to clients...it's a viscious circle of ignorance...

True. Well, even if they DID know, who's turning down a sale? I was machining high performance car parts for a huge company at one point in my life, a lot of the steel/titanium we got came on pallets from China. Where they really made in America?

I wonder if anybody would anybody feel better if it was cheap material assembled in-house? Or good domestic material assembled in a sweat shop?

 

[Yanka]

does it really make that much difference where the stuff is made as long as it is good quality? I know deception is not pretty but i think people should let go of that old "made in italy = good, china = bad" notion

 

[C_24]

Maybe people should let go of that notion, but I don´t think people actually will! Opinions change too slowly and the thought of good craftsmanship from Europe vs. cheap knock-offs from China has been maintained for too long (and personally, I do think that`s more than a cliché)

I used to work at a high-end store of some French luxury giant and we got a 15k-Euro mink labelled "Made in China" and finally cut the label out to prevent customers from constantly complaining.

 

[alxxxfast]

^ the problem isn't the "made in china"
I just bought a very expensive italian brand officially made in china (it's written inside) and it's very well done
the problem is that made in china products are labeled as made in italy ... that's wrong and an illegal practice, I just want to know where the product is made.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

I'm curious about the labeling of place of manufacturing. Couldn't the government get them on fraud for that? This would be a good investigation for Consumer Report.

 

[alxxxfast]

I'm curious about the labeling of place of manufacturing. Couldn't the government get them on fraud for that? This would be a good investigation for Consumer Report.

and they do regularly, but they can't find everything as it is a "regular" illegal practice.

some products come in italy from china prelabeled made in italy!

I'm sure this unfortunately happens also in many other countries

 

[C_24]

^ the problem isn't the "made in china"
I just bought a very expensive italian brand officially made in china (it's written inside) and it's very well done
the problem is that made in china products are labeled as made in italy ... that's wrong and an illegal practice, I just want to know where the product is made.

Of course, the problem that started the discussion was not about the origin of the garment, but I was only referring to the post above mine.

And for consumers, it still seems to be an issue: Remember the customers crying out when Burberry switched production of their polo shirts to China?

Coming back to the problem initially discussed in the article, I think the most disturbing thing is that more often than not, it`s morally wrong but not illegal under Italian law to label a piece of clothing "Made in Italy/ France/ etc." as long there is some work done in the European countries, even if it`s only sewing the last zipper and the label!

 

[Chalice]

Maybe the factories with Italian craftspeople need to have some open tour time and play it up a bit.