Forced labor: LVMH caught red-handed in Italy

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Following Dior, Armani, and Valentino, Loro Piana, the Italian label owned by Bernard Arnault, was placed under receivership in July for using clandestine workshops with dangerous working conditions. This system is common in the sector in the country.

In 2024, the Loro Piana brand generated around 3 billion euros in revenue. (Duilio Piaggesi/IPA. Abaca)

by Jean-Baptiste Chabran

Clothes worth several thousand euros are made in Italy by major luxury brands in conditions close to slavery . The placement in receivership on July 14 of the Italian brand Loro Piana , owned by the French LVMH, has served as a reminder of a reality that the sector prefers not to see and would like to keep quiet about: paying 6,000 euros for a bag or a coat made in Italy does not prevent them from being assembled by exploited and underpaid people.

In this country, where a little more than half of the world's production of luxury fashion and leather goods is concentrated, including the majority of ready-to-wear