The Minister of Made in Italy has declared a state of emergency for fashion Companies will be asked to take stronger measures against fast fashion
The crisis situation facing the entire Italian fashion industry has reached a point of no return. Motivated also by the recent legal case linked to supply chain illegality that involved the Tod's Group, the Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso has spoken with Confindustria, the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, and the Altagamma Foundation to find a long-term solution. Tomorrow, October 15, a meeting will be held with top industry leaders to discuss not only the protection of Made in Italy but also how to counter the increasingly powerful ultra fast fashion (that is, sellers like Shein, Temu, and similar, who are being forced to invest in Europe due to the heavy tariffs imposed by Trump in America).
For the Minister of Made in Italy, it is necessary to act as soon as possible to protect the reputation of Italian brands. Urso emphasized that the threat comes both from abroad, due to heavy tariffs on American exports and the competition from ultra fast fashion, and from within, because of the complex cases of illegality in the production chain that, unfortunately, have involved major names. Shortly after the Milan prosecutor's office dismissed the charges against Tod's, which had accused the company of cases of exploitation in its production chain, this Wednesday Urso will also meet with the president of the Tod's Group, Diego Della Valle, to collaborate with the government. The minister is also working on a legislative measure to protect Italian artisans and producers and to restore to Italian fashion full environmental and social legality.
At the meeting this Wednesday organized by Urso, Confindustria Moda, the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, the Altagamma Foundation, Confartigianato Moda, and CNA Moda will participate, and the main request from the table will be directed to the European Union. The top priority for Italian fashion industry leaders is indeed to eliminate the customs duty exemption for packages worth less than 150 euros — that is, those containing clothing products from fast fashion or ultra fast fashion brands (in 2024 alone, Europe received an average of over 12 million packages per day). As for the issue of labor exploitation in luxury fashion, pressure is being placed to establish a third-party body to certify the legality of the supply chain. «Italy cannot afford to lose this heritage of excellence, creativity, and employment,» commented Minister Adolfo Urso. «That’s why we are working, together with all sector stakeholders, to implement immediate legislative measures that can also better counter the phenomenon of labor exploitation.»
