Italian police visit fashion firms including Cucinelli and Moncler in labour probe

By Emilio Parodi

MILAN, July 16 (Reuters) - Italian police have visited the headquarters of nine high-end fashion firms, demanding documents on governance and supply-chain controls as part of an investigation into alleged exploitation of workers at subcontractors, a judicial document shows.

The brands that received the orders are Brunello Cucinelli, Moncler, Chanel, Bulgari, Jacob Cohen Company spa, Etro, Stefano Ricci, Goyard Italie and Owenscorp Italia.

None of the nine companies is under investigation, and prosecutors have not sought court-appointed administration for any of them, according to the order reviewed by Reuters.

Cucinelli said in a statement it was surprised and deeply saddened that part of the materials intended for its packaging were found at an unsuitable workplace, despite supplier checks and fair pricing, and pledged full cooperation to protect workers and the wider 'Made in Italy' brand.

The other firms did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The move, conducted on Thursday, is the second of its kind, after the Carabinieri labour unit in Milan carried out a similar operation in December 2025 at the headquarters of 13 other top fashion brands, including Gucci, Prada and Dolce & Gabbana, over the same issues.

According to a nine-page decree seen by Reuters, the additional brands were drawn into the probe after police found products and subcontracting documents linked to them during earlier searches of two workshops, accused of exploiting undocumented Chinese workers.

The two Chinese-owned workshops made garment bags, shopping bags and pouches for Brandart and F. VL., two companies also visited by the Carabinieri on Thursday, which supplied the items directly to the nine fashion brands that marketed them under their own labels.

The operation follows an investigation that has placed seven other fashion groups under court-appointed administration, in a series of cases that have tarnished the industry's image over the past three years.

The Milan court later lifted the measures against the seven companies after they brought their practices into compliance with the judges' requirements.

(Reporting by Emilio Parodi, additional reporting by Elisa AnzolinEditing by Kirsten Donovan and Keith Weir)