Rock Center
Three powerful words: "Made in Italy." They conjure up images of the great Italian designers: Dolce & Gabana, Prada, Valentino.
And as a brand, "Made in Italy" doesn't come cheap.
Customers pay 10, 20, or even 100 times more for a handbag or dress that's made in Italy, compared to one made in China. "Made in Italy" fashion and design is a $30 billion annual export business.
Buyers expect luxury cloth produced on the best machines, monitored by fussy Italians, who know their stuff. But there is another side to products branded "Made in Italy."
Rock Center visited a sweatshop in an old warehouse in Prato, the center of Italian textile production since the Renaissance, where Chinese workers are paid as little as $2 a day. Many of them are illegal. They work with cheap Chinese materials that are also often smuggled in.
What they produce gets labels that say "Made in Italy," put in boxes that say "Made in Italy."
What they're making isn't illegal. The Chinese aren't making knock offs, or fake purses. They're knocking off the entire "Made in Italy" brand name.
Italian law doesn't specify how much must be made in the country to be considered local. So if a few buttons are sewn on in Italy, Presto! It's made in Italy.
Click here to watch Richard Engel's exclusive online report 'Made in Italy.'
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Anyone who cannot tell the difference between cheap Chinese knockoffs and the real deal is an undiscerning goober who probably wears a Rulex watch.
The products described in the news article is not a knock-off. It is in fact made in Italy, using cheap labor and material. It is no difference than some of the Made-In-USA clothings sewn in Los Angeles using cheap Mexican labor and material imported abroad.
Italy is a nation controlled by socialist interest groups. Labor unions dominate politic resulting in extraordinary high minimum wages and benefit. In order to compete in international trade, Italian manufactures must concentrated on the 'high end' goods where the higher profit margin can support the generous compensations. Hence, the Ferrari, Lambo, Pravda, Gucci, Valentino etc.
Sounds like the world just need to slap China with a huge tariffs to combat this
All the nice silk they have and they have to use another countries name. Sad.
That's shameless!
If you know anything about fashion and how shoes or clothing are made, it is actually easy to spot the knock-offs 'made in Italy' versus the real 'made in Italy.'
Tourists, don't buy anything sold on Ponte Vecchio or any kiosk in Florence. Chances are those are the cheaper 'made in Italy' items. Real Made in Italy is sold in the stores. Look at the stitching - is it straight and evenly spaced (yet with enough imperfections showing it is hand made) or is it haphazard or 'too' straight (machine made)? Are there any loose threads? Is the leather supple and flexible or stiff? Look inside the item - is the lining patterned or cheap? Are zippers and other ornaments sewed on or glued on? In other words, caveat emptor - buyer beware.
Another thing to look at is pattern in the lining, the real stuff wont put a seam through the designers name or logo, so if part of the pattern is cut off by a seam its probably fake
Did you both just decide to come here and comment without reading the story at all? The WHOLE POINT is that they are NOT making knock-offs, they are making stuff for the actual labels. It has nothing to do with kiosks and fake labels and bad stitching. You should really read the article and watch the video before you make such dumb comments.
Italy is where the "fine Corinthean leather" was made.
The "fine Corinthian leather" that Chrysler advertised was made in New Jersey. The term has no geographic meaning, it was simply a made up advertising term.
The "fine Corinthean leather" was first uttered by Ricardo Montoban, a Mexican actor, doing a Chrysler commercial. Prior to Ricardo, there were no such leather. And neither Ricardo nor the leather had any connection to Italy or Greece.
Truth be told, Chrysler scamed the consumer touting the 'fine Corinthean leather.'
Turn around is fair-play, what's good for the Goose is good for the gander.
Italy has had a 1,000 history of stealing from the East; so payback will a b*tch.
From Silk to so-called Fibonacci Series to the number Zero to Pasta, Italians have been the biggest mis-appropriators of somebody else's Cultural treasures.
I resent Mymomdidnotraiseafool accusations. My Rulex watch is exact to the second twice daily as promised in the lifetime guarantee.
LMAO @ Yahoo Bobo.And once again, the lying, stealing, repressive child murdering government of china is at work again, forging products this time, a task they are very familiar with doing.
Nothing at all comes out of china except their teas.
They lie, they steal, they cheat at every opportunity they get, they are not capable of inventing things or manufacturing good products by themselves.
Their whole culture is based on flimsy rice paper, everything is cheap and if you look hard enough you can see right through it every time.
Now another country I will no longer purchase products from
hmm so how the heck is the CCP responseble for knockoff made in italy lol
anti china bashers like jim never misses an opportunity to rubbish and ridicule china. China made products are fine and durable and selling at a very reasonable price.
Jim:
Your PC or most of its components are made in China. Your wide-screen TV is probably made there, also. Most microwave oven are from China. Some of the components in your car is from China.
You are coming across as a hypocrite or worse; may you recognize the error of your ways and repent. Now, ye shall go and sin no more!
...and may be cheaper to pay for the work of the Chinese people in Italy than in China.?There aren't the bribes to Chinese officials
But, in Italy you have the Mafia to contend with. I don't know which offers a cheaper 'protection' invoice, the corrupt Chinese politicians or the Mafia?
Buy American...restore jobs to this country. You may pay more but you will also earn more and that will balance out. Bring back jobs to America...don't buy Chineese or other countries goods. Maybe a new president would be helpful.
My question is who the hell has the money to actually buy the stuff that's actually made in Italy by artisans? I know I don't. And I'm probably in the middle of the middle class, 50k after taxes.
So why a discussion of this subject at all?
And Mila, it's a simple question. Who sent American jobs to other countries? Answer that and you know why a different President may not be such a good idea.
Hey fat cat Italy does not have a minimum wage, the only people who are entitled to benefits are citizens of italy and the benefits are not that great, (except for health care), and yes the products are knock offs, they are exact copies of the Italian designer labels not modified originals or compromised manufacturing, please before posting do a fact check,
Thank You
This is not of any concern to be, since I don't buy anything made in Italy in the first place. Only the high end snobs who want me to vote for Romney will be affected by this.