“From the post-World War II era, ‘Made in Italy’ has confirmed itself as a label granting fine quality, authenticity and a sense of style internationally praised”
The label ‘Made in Italy’, when properly placed, represents the locally made, Italian craftsmanship, savoir-faire, Italian excellence.
In reality, what's hidden is the reality of the ‘Made in Italy’ tag: who is actually making these Italian clothes and where?
Often times, items will carry the ‘Made in Italy’ label when in reality they are not made in Italy at all. Authorities carry out extensive checks but fraudulent claims are so pervasive that it is hard to achieve total assurance of authenticity.
These human labor abuses don’t go with what we expect from the ‘Made in Italy’ tag. Thankfully, in 2009 a law was passed (Law no.166) to force anything that has a tag saying ‘100% Made in Italy’ or ‘All Italian,’ must have their products made entirely in Italy, from design to packaging. This, however, continues to be abused. The Kering Group was sued in 2017 over their ‘Made in Italy’ claims. Eyewear retailer, Selima Optique, filed a lawsuit against Kering for falsely advertising its eyewear as an Italian export when in reality they outsource part of its production in China. The lawsuit read: “In truth, [Kering’s] products, or substantially all parts of their products, are made in China, and (at best) shipped to Italy for final assembly and packaging, and then exported.” In this way, the label is complicated and can be easily taken advantage of, so there need to be stricter regulations and more research done to find out if a product is actually ‘Made in Italy’ or just packaged there. Italy has rigorous standards and higher production costs than many other countries, and unfortunately with how easily it can be exploited the strong value that the label has can become diluted.
RISA acknowledges the realities of the 'Made in Italy' label, striving to redefine it within a new, sustainable framework that prioritizes Italian artisans. Our commitment to transparency is evident in our meticulous documentation of the artisans behind each garment. As an Italian brand, RISA holds itself to account, and all our products are entirely crafted in Italy. Moreover, we aspire to full traceability, leveraging blockchain technology to enhance transparency, enabling consumers to trace our entire supply chain and even directly support the artisans. By engaging in open dialogues about these realities, we collectively strive for a standard of integrity that safeguards against exploitation. At RISA, our mission is to foster awareness, empowering consumers to prioritize traceability. As consumer demand for traceability grows, brands will be compelled to meet these standards.
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