Labor exploitation, Della Valle to prosecutor: “You don’t just wake up in the morning and accuse ‘Made in Italy’”

Milan, October 10 (LaPresse) – “Before coming to tell us that we are something else in a heavy-handed manner, people like the prosecutor, whose name is Paolo Storari in this case, must realize that you cannot tarnish the reputation of people like us,” nor can you “question” the “Made in Italy” which “represents one of the strongest excellences of our country in terms of global competitiveness.” This was stated by Diego Della Valle during an urgent press conference regarding the request for judicial administration against Tod’s for allegedly facilitating labor exploitation along its supply chain. The request was made based on Article 34 of the anti-mafia code, which has been applied in the last year and a half to five other companies by the Milan Court (Alviero Martini spa, Armani Operation, Manufactures Dior, Valentino Bags Lab, and the Loro Piana brand of Louis Vuitton). “You can’t just wake up one morning” after seeing “four photos taken from your office,” Della Valle said, referring to the documents collected in the investigations by the Carabinieri’s Labor Inspection Unit in Milan, which examined Chinese factories under judicial scrutiny, and accuse “so thoughtlessly, this is absolutely unforgivable.” “I wish this gentleman had the curiosity and sharpness to come and see my companies and then express a judgment,” said the Tod’s CEO referring to the “Public Prosecutor” Storari (who is actually just a deputy prosecutor). “On such serious matters, one must really be well-documented and, if necessary, engage in a debate – not come out of nowhere with things that happened a year ago.” Della Valle condemned behaviors like labor exploitation, which “do not belong to our mentality” because we have always done “genuine welfare.”