Luxury’s Dirty Little Secret: Valentino’s Labor Violations Uncovered #fashion

An Italian court has placed a unit of fashion brand Valentino under judicial administration for a year after uncovering worker abuse inside its supply chain, in the latest in a string of cases that have tainted the image of Italy’s luxury brands. Valentino Bags Lab Srl is the fourth fashion company to be targeted by the same Milan court for similar labour issues since 2023. An Italian unit of French luxury giant LVMH’s Dior, Italy’s Armani and Italian handbag company Alviero Martini were also placed under administration. The court found that Valentino Bags Lab, which makes Valentino-branded handbags and travel articles, subcontracted production to Chinese-owned firms in Italy that exploited workers, according to the 30-page ruling reviewed by Reuters. The Milan court found it “culpably failed” to adequately oversee its suppliers in order to pursue higher profits. The court will now appoint an external administrator to verify the company meets all the judges’ demands that it implement effective tools to control its supply chain. Valentino said in a statement it would cooperate with the authorities to better understand what prompted the measures. It said it had intensified controls on suppliers in the last few years. Checks include “audits conducted by certified third parties covering the entire production process” and have led the company to ditch producers that did not meet its standards. The administration will be lifted earlier if the unit brings its practices into line with legal requirements, as was the case with the three companies previously targeted by the court. Valentino is majority-owned by Qatari investment fund Mayhoola. French fashion group Kering bought a 30 percent stake in the Italian brand in 2023, with an option to purchase the entire share capital by 2028. Valentino, Valentino Bags Lab and Kering did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Mayhoola could not immediately be reached for comment. In their ruling, the Milan judges wrot