We're all aware of the many evils lurking behind fashion's glamorous mask. But to think that the only sufferers of this industry are Asian children working in factories or planet Earth is wrong. No, there are other far more obscured victims which suffer in silence.
Take for example people working in the counterfeit luxury fashion industry. If you thought all fakes were made in China, well you were wrong. Surprisingly, Italy, the home of the likes of Prada and Armani, is one of the many counterfeit luxury goods hotspots. By now you would have realized the paradox - both genuine Prada and counterfeit Prada products are made in the same country!
The truth is that these two industries operate as one under the patronage of the Camorra from Naples. Here's how it all fits together. There is a network of small factories which force their 10 or so highly skilled employees to work in cramped, unsafe conditions (including stairways). The owners of these factories attend auctions organised by the big fashion houses. Each owner bids by stating the amount of time and money necessary to complete a design put forward by the fashion house.
Once the best bid has been established, all factories (irrespective of who's had the best bid) are given free material and set out to complete the design in the quickest and least costly way without compromising quality. Once the item is complete, all factory owners present it to the fashion house which chooses the best one and pays for it. The remaining pieces are put on the market in many shapes and forms - haute-couture, counterfeit, unbranded. These pieces are sold in shops and on the streets around the world.
All of this is possible thanks to the fashion houses who allow it and the mafia who runs it. And if you ever thought that all of this could be put to a stop, think again. In Naples, everything is linked to the Camorra, the local mafia. This point has been made by many, including William Langewiesche, who provides an insightful description in his article on Vanityfair.com:
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| Photo by Comfort from Arise and Shine photography |
Once the best bid has been established, all factories (irrespective of who's had the best bid) are given free material and set out to complete the design in the quickest and least costly way without compromising quality. Once the item is complete, all factory owners present it to the fashion house which chooses the best one and pays for it. The remaining pieces are put on the market in many shapes and forms - haute-couture, counterfeit, unbranded. These pieces are sold in shops and on the streets around the world.
All of this is possible thanks to the fashion houses who allow it and the mafia who runs it. And if you ever thought that all of this could be put to a stop, think again. In Naples, everything is linked to the Camorra, the local mafia. This point has been made by many, including William Langewiesche, who provides an insightful description in his article on Vanityfair.com:
The Camorra is not an organization like the Mafia that can be separated from society, disciplined in court, or even quite defined. It is an amorphous grouping in Naples and its hinterlands of more than 100 autonomous clans and perhaps 10,000 immediate associates, along with a much larger population of dependents, clients, and friends. It is an understanding, a way of justice, a means of creating wealth and spreading it around. It has been a part of life in Naples for centuries—far longer than the fragile construct called Italy has even existed.Another "semi-retired" Camorrista, Charles DeLucca, highlights the Camorra's extensive power:
From toxic nuclear disposal, to Italian luxury goods, fashion stores, bootleg Italian merchandise, drugs and prostitution, the Camorra is the modern Hydra,the mythical multi-headed serpent from out of Ancient Greek myth.
These writers hint at the idea that the Camorra never sleeps and can't be stopped. Research has found that the mob often imposes the sale of those factory produced fashion counterfeits as a form of extortion. However, they are not the only ones to make such daring exposés - Roberto Saviano's book Gomorrah is the most detailed and shocking
piece of writing on the matter. The truths revealed "expose the brutal underbelly of the industry, where the suit you wear bears the stench of death, corruption, narcotics, and blood money."