Synonym for elegance and craftsmanship, the Made in Italy fashion It is actually in strong crisis. And above all, the productive fabric rather than the brands themselves, which in recent years have instead put into practice a policy of increase Rather aggressive.
The fashion sector is the second Italian manufacturing sector with a turnover that touches almost 100 billion euros. On it, Ilaria Mauri and Pietro Barabino have thrown light into an interesting investigation published in the daily fact.
The prices are to the stars, but hunger wages
In recent years, the fashion giants have implemented a dizzying increase in increases: one Chanel Classic Flap It has gone from 2,800 to over 10 thousand euros, one Lady Dior It touches 6 thousand, while a Hermès Birkin can now cost as a small apartment. And, almost as if we did not know, this increase in prices does not translate into a fair compensation For those who materially make these products.
An entrepreneur of the leather goods chain, who works as a thirdist for the big brands, tells the journalists of the FQ:
A Gucci bag sold for 1,200 euros, we are paid just 25 euros to us.
A disconcerting gap that highlights the profound inequalities of a sector in which profit is concentrated in the hands of large groups, while the supplier companies find themselves operating with increasingly reduced margins.
The crisis of the supernists
The large fashion brands do not have sufficient production plants to satisfy the demand, for this reason they rely on a network of external companies, the so -called “third party”, small companies specialized in specific stages of the processing, such as sewing, assembly, the tincture or finishes. A system that guarantees the brands of luxury maximum flexibility e low production costsbut requires suppliers one dependence Total economic, often with unfavorable contracts and unsuitable fees.
In 2024, the number of hours of layoffs in the fashion sector in Italy increased by 200%, with a peak of +139% in the leather and leather sector. In the Marche – says the fact – 700 companies closed, another 304 in Tuscany, causing thousands of lost jobs. The situation is so serious that the government has allocated 110 million euros to finance the layoffs, extending it until January 2025.
“We work not to fail“
A craftsman from Valdarno, with about thirty employees, describes his dramatic situation:
In recent years I have had to buy new machines to respect the standards imposed by brands, but the orders have fallen and now I can’t even cover the installments of the loans. If I close, I leave dozens of people on the street.
Many say they have seen the staff halving: “In 2022 I had 39 employees, today I have 28 and in the coming months I will have to fire five more. The layoff for us craftsmen lasts only 12 weeks, while industries are entitled to much longer periods. So we cannot survive “.
A system that penalizes the little ones
The main problem is that large groups impose increasingly stringent conditions for suppliers, while they themselves record record profits. The proportions are overwhelming: a small artisan laboratory invoice about one million euros with a profit of 100 thousand euros, while direct intermediaries working for brands can turn over over 20 million with profits of 2-3 million. The disparity is evident.
In addition, there are many brands that have abandoned relocation abroad to maintain the prestigious “Made in Italy” brand, but without guaranteeing dignified working conditions for local producers. The big brands pay Italian craftsmen with compensation that do not allow the sustainability of companiesendangering an entire sector.
They want quality, but without paying it. They want that we are in accordance, but they don’t worry about how much we are paid. When okay, we earn enough to survive. When it goes wrong, we indebted, hoping that something changes, explains another entrepreneur.
One is not fine, therefore. According to Confindustria Moda, 74% of entrepreneurs in the textile-clothing sector requires a recovery only at the end of the year, while 19% fear that the crisis will last until 2026. The government has announced a package of aid of 250 million euros for The sector, but will it be enough?
To really relaunch the fashion sector, experts claim that structural intervention is necessary: new industrial and tax policies that encourage sustainable production, the protection of small businesses and the right remuneration of workers. Without these interventions, the risk is to attend the collapse of an entire production chain that has made Made in Italy famous all over the world.
The question remains: can we still speak of luxury if those who produce it cannot even live dignity?
