{"id":52892,"date":"2026-07-17T16:13:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T16:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/52892\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T16:13:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T16:13:08","slug":"chanel-bulgari-among-brands-involved-in-supply-chain-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/52892\/","title":{"rendered":"Chanel, Bulgari Among Brands Involved in Supply Chain Investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tMILAN \u2014 More fashion companies<\/a> have come under scrutiny from Milan prosecutors looking into the country\u2019s fashion supply chain practices<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tAccording to media reports, 11 firms have been asked to hand over documents on governance and supply chain<\/a> controls as part of investigations into alleged exploitative work conditions at some of their subcontractors.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe investigations seek to determine the extent of the companies\u2019 involvement in the use of exploited labor and whether they were negligent in properly auditing their supply chain<\/a> partners.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe names involved include Brunello Cucinelli<\/a>; Bulgari<\/a>; Chanel<\/a>; Etro; Goyard Italie; Jacob Coh\u00ebn; Moncler; Owenscorp Italia, behind the Rick Owens brand; Stefano Ricci, as well as packaging specialists Brandart and FVL.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe investigations resulted from searches at Moda Fashion Style Srl and Isacco Srl, conducted last May and June, respectively. Both companies \u2014 allegedly part of the fashion brands\u2019 subcontracting networks \u2014 are reportedly specialized in packaging, producing garment bags and shoppers.<\/p>\n

\n\tAccording to Milan prosecutors led by Paolo Storari, law enforcement uncovered \u201cdemeaning\u201d working conditions, lack of safety protocols, worker exploitation and sweatshop schemes.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe fashion brands are under preliminary probes and prosecutors haven\u2019t sought court-appointed administration for any of them.<\/p>\n

\n\tContacted by WWD on Friday, some of the involved fashion companies issued statements to clarify their position in the matter.<\/p>\n

\n\tChanel<\/a> said it \u201cis committed to fully cooperating with the Italian authorities\u201d and that it \u201capplies the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility throughout its supply chain. Its suppliers and subcontractors are subject to regular assessments, audits and controls.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe sites concerned had undergone extensive audits and were also subject to additional verification measures. The information reported in the media was already known to Chanel. Following an alert received on May 18, 2026, the house instructed its packaging supplier on May 20, 2026, to end its relationship with the subcontractor concerned, and the termination of the contract was initiated with immediate effect,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Brunello Cucinelli<\/a> company said that it was \u201csurprised and deeply distressed to learn that, within the supply chain of one of our packaging suppliers, materials bearing our trademark were found at an unsuitable workplace.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThese were products not intended for sale, which we purchase from a company based in the Veneto region. As with all suppliers of materials, we require the utmost attention to respect for labor dignity, and we conduct reputational due diligence and documentary compliance checks on such suppliers. To date, those reviews had not revealed any critical issues. We also believe that we have always paid a fair price for production in Italy in full compliance with applicable laws and under working conditions that were more than adequate,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe emphasize that this is a materials\u2019 supplier, distinct from the network of 400 subcontracting manufacturers that employ approximately 9,000 people and to whom we entrust the highly artisanal production of our products, with whom we maintain a direct and strong relationship. Our fashion house has always chosen to carry out all production exclusively in Italy, consistently devoting the utmost attention to the quality of workplaces and the proper compensation of all workers, with the aim of ensuring both the economic and moral dignity of labor,\u201d the statement concluded.<\/p>\n

\n\tJennifer Tommasi Bardelle, owner and creative director of Jacob Coh\u00ebn, said the brand \u201cwill support with all possible means the Milan public prosecutor\u2019s office in its investigation into the fashion industry\u2019s supply chain. I want to speak personally on this, because I have always believed that the supply chain is the heart of everything we do and have strongly demanded that it be clean, transparent and fully compliant with the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis fundamental principle applies whether or not, as in this case, act-finding proceedings relate to third-party sub-suppliers that \u2014 with no relationship with us and unknown to us \u2014 have been apparently engaged in irregular labor practices in the production of packaging items for a number of luxury brands,\u201d she said. \u201cJacob Coh\u00ebn\u00a0will pursue all responsible entities and individuals accordingly. We stand unequivocally on the side of all workers: their dignity comes before margin and EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization]. It always has been, and it always will be this for myself and our company,\u201d Tommasi Bardelle said.<\/p>\n

\n\tEtro, Goyard and Stefano Ricci had no comment on Friday, while the other brands involved did not return WWD\u2019s requests for comment at press time.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis probe differs from previous cases, which uncovered ties of luxury brands such as Tod\u2019s, Valentino, Loro Piana, Dior and Giorgio Armani, among others, to subcontractors allegedly involved in sweatshop schemes.<\/p>\n

\n\tAll the above brands were put under judicial administration to correct and enhance audits and oversight through court-mandated procedures, with the exception of Tod\u2019s, which obtained that the judicial administration procedure be handled by an Ancona, Italy, court, which has yet to rule.<\/p>\n

\n\tDior\u2019s, Giorgio Armani\u2019s, Loro Piana\u2019s and Valentino\u2019s probes have since been fully resolved, and the judicial oversight lifted.<\/p>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, in March, Paul & Shark and Aspesi were also investigated for alleged negligence in auditing their suppliers, with prosecutors requesting they be placed under judicial administration. However, a Milan judge ruled against the prosecutors\u2019 move, arguing the legal grounds for the requested measure were not met.<\/p>\n

\n\tOver the past two years these supply chain scandals have rocked the luxury fashion industry in Italy, shaking both its reputation and business practices. The investigations by the Milan court have raised concerns about the industry\u2019s ability to manage its supply chains effectively.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe backlash has led brands and industry associations to pressure domestic policymakers to come to the rescue and define nationwide auditing standards and regulation protocols promoted by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn particular, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana and Confindustria Moda have been among the strongest supporters of a shared, nationwide auditing system. Legislation had seemed to move swiftly through several contacts with Minister Adolfo Urso, which led to a draft proposal for a voluntary certification for fashion brands\u2019 value chains, aimed at ensuring legality and traceability throughout the entire production process, across all tiers of subcontracting.<\/p>\n

\n\tHowever, the bill \u2014 which had already passed a Senate Commission vote \u2014 was stalled by the Lower House Commission of the Italian Parliament. The move apparently resulted from backlash from trade unions, which have been among the strongest opponents of the measures, billing them as an attempt on the part of the fashion sector to seek \u201clegal immunity from prosecution\u201d should wrongdoing emerge across their supply chains.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MILAN \u2014 More fashion companies have come under scrutiny from Milan prosecutors looking into the country\u2019s fashion supply…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":52893,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12776],"tags":[21578,11637,2096,4955,2515,2083],"class_list":["post-52892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bulgari","tag-brunello-cucinelli","tag-bulgari","tag-chanel","tag-lvmh","tag-sourcing-journal","tag-supply-chain"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}