The ‘Made In Italy’ Debate

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

A “Made in Italy” label enjoys a cachet. It is a signifier of quality craftsmanship. Since 1980 the term has been used to indicate the traditional industries that are rooted in the heritage of Italy. In Italian these are known as the “Four A”’s: Abbigliamento, Agroalimentare, Arredamento and Automobili. This refers to fashion, food, furniture and cars. ‘Made in Italy’ then is arguably one of the most recognisable brands that there is, despite its not belonging to a single company. And yet, there are deep rooted problems with the term. Though the label enjoys great influence on consumers the products can still be of foreign origin and those producing the products are not always trained and paid. At Maxwell-Scott, we believe in supporting the traditional Italian leather industry as it upholds the value of artisan craftsmanship, traditional techniques and sustainable environmentally-friendly production. As such, it is time to reassess ‘Made in Italy’ in the case of fashion.

One of the primary issues, with the use of the ‘Made in Italy’ label, is that the loose legalities of its definition means that there is no single standard to uphold. According to the European Union’s rules of origin, the country of origin for labelling purposes is where the final production process is carried out. More specifically, sometimes, a product that states that it has been ‘Made in Italy’ has been sourced elsewhere. This means that different aspects of a handbag for example have come from all across the globe, with the handle of the bag from one country, the material for the sides another. It is only the fact that the last assembly stages is in Italy that legitimizes the claim. Often the lack of transparency within the supply chain means that it is hard, particularly for the consumer, to establish if the entirety of the product has been conceived in Italy. Speaking in 2014, Patricia Jurewicz director of the Responsible Sourcing Network, an organization that advocates for more transparency stated that:

Such practices are arguably deceptive to the consumer and as such undermine the value of the ‘Made in Italy’ label. With this, consumers are expected to research more deeply.

In the autumn of last year, The New York Times published an exposing article titled Inside Italy’s Shadow Economy which shone a light on the problem of unclear supply chains – this time regarding the payment of workers. The article focused heavily on two women in the shadow economy of the luxury market. One lady received just €1 from the factory that employs her for each metre of fabric she completed when sewing designer coats. To sew one metre takes her around one hour, with it taking four to five hours to complete an entire coat. She explained that she tries to do two coats per day but that the most she had ever earned was €24 for an entire coat. For context, Italy does not have a national minimum wage. Nevertheless, roughly €5-7 per hour is considered to be an appropriate standard by many unions and consulting firms. Therefore without a contract, or insurance, workers such as this lady in the southern Italian town of Santeramo in Colle are paid far below a reasonable wage. This is also not a singular case either. Author of Fabbriche Invisibili, Tania Toffanin, estimates that currently there are 2,000 to 4,000 irregular home workers in apparel production. Some argue that this practice is due to increased pressure from globalization and growing competition at all levels of the market. This is a distinct problem that is at a detriment to artisan craftsmanship which acts in complete contradiction to the ‘Made in Italy’ label; a label which should bolster the design and manufacturing heritage of Italy.

Since the 1990s there has also been unease regarding the prevalence of Chinese mass production based in Italy. Prato, a city fifteen miles northwest of Florence, has a long history connected to textiles which dates back to the 12th Century. In the 1990s, however, it became the epicentre of mass production and Chinese immigration. According to The New Yorker, these workers became known as the Wenzhou workers as initially nearly all of them came from Wenzhou, a port city south of Shanghai. They imported cheap Chinese cloth and produced pronto moda or fast fashion. Sold at the lower end of the market, these articles of clothing were still ‘Made In Italy’. In fact in 2008 Marco Landi, president of the Tuscany branch of trade body CNA, stated that approximately there were 4,000 Chinese-run clothing factories in Prato. Such Chinese-run clothing factories were then able to “exploit the desirability of the ‘Made in Italy’ brand in new ways.”

One could argue that being based in Tuscany permitted the positive dissemination of knowledge concerning the artisan methods rooted in Italian culture. However, in 2007, an Italian state channel broadcasted Slaves Of Luxury. This was a forceful documentary that denounced how expensive ‘Made in Italy’ products were actually made. It highlighted cheap labour and poor conditions. A series of further investigations then found that luxury merchandise was also being produced by factories in Italy where the Chinese immigrant workforce suffered poor labour conditions. Consequently, at both the high and low ends of the market, the ‘Made in Italy’ label was not as it seemed to consumers. This label that connotes true Italian artistry was being utilised to misrepresent products which had, in fact, seemingly been produced by Chinese immigrants in poor conditions. One can only hope that over the past decade improvements have been made but with the exposing New York Times article and growing globalisation this is unclear.

The ‘Made In Italy’ debate is, therefore, complex. The label is a simple way to recognise quality, craftsmanship and design within the market and yet, its true meaning is hard to establish. This is often due to murky supply chains which do not support Italian heritage or the industries’ workers. There is, however, a diversity that exists between the various realities present in Italy. At Maxwell-Scott, we are proud to say that we embody timeless British design whilst supporting traditional Italian production. Our family-run factory in the heart of Tuscany is headed by Roberto. His father founded the factory and is still involved in inspiring the team, his family, to achieve excellence. After all, Domenico himself has 75 years worth of experience within the Italian leather industry. As such, we aim to act as an antidote to the fast fashion industry as the epitome of fine Italian artistry. This ensures sustainability at every stage of production from the leather that we work with, to the use of solar power in our factory, and to our belief in durable construction which means that you only ever need to buy once.

Associate Professor of Business Ethics and Negotiation Teaching Unit at the IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Antonino Vaccaro explains to his classroom of students that his grandfather’s 25-year-old jacket – made in Italy of course – is the best example of environmental sustainability that he can offer. At Maxwell-Scott, this is an ethos that we truly believe in. Our products are handmade in Italy which means that they are imbued with the knowledge of our skilled Tuscan artisans to encourage slow consumerism. Simply, our artisans are at the centre of what we do. With the Italian leather industry dating back to the medieval era, the wealth of knowledge in this region is invaluable. Simply, it is skill, understanding and craftsmanship. This in turn contributes to the fact that products made in this way are built to last a lifetime. A Maxwell-Scott briefcase for instance is crafted to last an entire career, with our 25 year guarantee an honest reflection of our artisans’ workmanship. We support the crafting heritage of Italy by employing artisans who understand traditional methods of production and ensure quality. It is this that permits slow, sustainable consumerism.

Moreover, the traditional Italian leather industry is environmentally friendly in other ways. Sustainability is one of the pillars of the strategy of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (National Chamber for Italian Fashion). This is an association that started advocating sustainability as a basic value of the Italian fashion industry in 2010. Their manifesto, published two years later, outlined key guidelines with the hope of designing an Italian way of responsible and sustainable fashion. The manifesto includes points concerning designing quality products built to last so as to minimise their impact on ecosystems, and management systems that are committed to plans to improve sustainability practices. Materials then are foundational to sustainable production processes. They are, after all, the very inputs with which the people handcrafting end-products begin with. At Maxwell Scott, we use consciously-sourced leather from the meat industry off-cuts unlike other leather possibilities such as synthetic faux leathers, created from plastic, which are environmentally damaging. All of this suggests that, inherent to the culture of Italy is a commitment to using quality materials which minimise the impact on the environment. It is aspects such as this that are recognised under the ‘Made in Italy’ label.

A useful case study to understand the value of the craftsmanship that ‘Made in Italy’ represents is vegetable tanning leather. In a recent Vogue article about How To Shop Leather Responsibly, vegetable-tanned leather was highlighted as an environmentally-friendly way of dying the leather:

Vegetable-tanning has been the way of life for centuries for many in the heart of Tuscany. Here, artisans have perfected the way in which to treat leather with the most care as antique recipes are combined with technological innovation. This tanning heritage in Tuscany is represented by the Consorzio Vera Pelle Italiana Conciata Al Vegetale (The Genuine Italian Vegetable-Tanned Leather Consortium) of which we are proud members. The consortium has a set of rules to which its members of around 20 tanneries must obey. The most significant of which is the rejection of the use of chemicals. This trademarked vegetable-tanned leather does not contain any toxic substances harmful to man such as azo-dyes, nickel, Pentachloropheno (PCP) or chrome VI. Instead, the leather is treated with natural tannins extracted from tree bark. This is significant not only because there is no harmful chemicals being used, but also as it produces leather with longevity. Due to the process’ respect for the nature of the leather, each of our products will only improve with age as the leather itself develops a unique patina over time. Moreover, a vegetable-tanned leather has chemical-biological characteristics which means that the object can be easily disposed with at the end of its long life. Moreover, many of the substances used in the tanning process are “recovered, recycled and reused” so as to fulfil the potential of every component of the process. Tuscany’s leather industry is, therefore, the epitome of how Italian heritage industries are leading the way in terms of sustainability as craftsman pursue the same, natural method which has been used for hundreds of years. It is such values which should be celebrated under the label of ‘Made in Italy’.

In conclusion the ‘Made in Italy’ debate is complex. Whilst great value lies in the fact that it reflects the design and manufacturing history of Italy – a country renowned for producing the highest quality goods – it can also be used in a misleading fashion. For instance, the products can still be sourced abroad and those producing the products are not always well trained or sufficiently paid. Nevertheless, the core meaning of the label should not be ignored. At Maxwell-Scott, we believe in supporting the traditional Italian leather industry as it upholds the value of artisan craftsmanship, traditional techniques and sustainable environmentally-friendly production. Quite rightly, the ‘Made in Italy’ label enjoys a cachet. For the consumer, more transparent supply chains would allow this to continue to be the case.