Gucci is in a bit of hot water as a report from RAI Italian state television revealed that the fashion house’s suppliers had Chinese employees making handbags in sweatshops, working 14-hour days when they were only hired to work 4 hours. And the worst part? Gucci was allegedly fully aware of these abuses.
Now that it’s out in the open, Gucci is recommitting itself to investigating possible abuses in its factories, though reps for the brand firmly deny that the report was an accurate portrayal of what goes on behind the scenes. They say the show’s host “deliberately avoided to seek comment from Gucci in relation to what she was covertly filming for over five months,” adding that the show’s information was collected under dubious circumstances. “Hidden and inappropriately used cameras, shooting carefully selected supplier companies (3 out of a total 576), do not provide for a true or accurate representation of Gucci and its supply chain policies and procedures.”
Gucci says it will do more inspections of suppliers in the future. It also denies subcontractor claims that the brand knew laborers were working such long hours.
[The Business of Fashion, WWD]
