Smoking gun
The double life of an Italian luxury manager who also ran an exploitative workshop

By Léo Durin

Published on 02.04.2026 at 05:00 GMT Reading time 3 min

An investigation by the Milan public prosecutor has revealed that a former employee of the yachting clothing brand Paul & Shark coordinated the operations of a subcontractor accused of exploiting its workers.

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This article is part of this Running Story

Exploitative workshops come back to haunt top brands All articles

In Focus
Fashion brands' profits boosted by worker exploitation in Italy

The investigation launched by the Milanese authorities in early 2024 into Italian workshops in breach of labour law has now implicated several leading fashion brands, including Armani, Loro Piana, Dior, Tod's and Valentino. The fact is that these subcontractors charge less, meaning substantial savings on production costs for the luxury sector.

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Italian investigators have been going after the exploitative workshops that ensure luxury brands such high profit margins.

Shockwaves of Italian investigation into illegal workshop practices reach UK shores

In a pre-emptive measure to avoid finding itself implicated like many an Italian luxury company in the ongoing Milanese inquiry, a supplier to the British royal family has been taking a close look at its own supply chain.

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Spotlight
Italian workshop probe points finger at ex-Jacquemus subcontractor

More and more luxury companies are being caught up in the investigation launched last year by the Milanese authorities into workshops manufacturing luxury items that have failed to meet legal standards. Glitz can reveal that an Armani subcontractor implicated earlier this month also once produced handbags for Jacquemus, though the brand is keen to stress that it stopped working with the manufacturer last year.

Subscribers only France, Italy Houses 28.10.2025

One leading luxury company after another is being implicated in the investigation into the dubious practices of certain Milanese workshops.

Headlines

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Smoking gun
The double life of an Italian luxury manager who also ran an exploitative workshop