Tod's faces judicial administration over claims of "severe labour exploitation"

The Milan Public Prosecutor's Office has requested to place the Marche-based company Tod's spa under judicial administration for negligently facilitating "severe labour exploitation" along its production chain.

The request from public prosecutor Paolo Storari is addressed to Italy's Court of Cassation, which has scheduled a hearing for November 19, following an initial rejection by the prevention measures section of the Court of Milan.

As reported by Italian media outlet Corriere della Sera, the Court of Cassation will decide on November 19 which judicial authority is competent to examine the situation presented by the public prosecutor and the carabinieri. The report details conditions of "starvation wages; night and holiday work; dilapidated places where people work, eat and sleep", and machinery lacking safety systems to increase productivity.

These factors materialise into "nineteenth-century working conditions" where "two seemingly distant worlds, that of luxury on one side and that of Chinese workshops on the other, connect for a single objective: cost reduction and profit maximisation through the evasion of criminal labour laws". This conduct "in fact favours, albeit negligently, the use of undeclared or irregular labour, the omission of wages and contributions, and the exploitation of labour".

According to the newspaper, Tod's has confirmed it has received notification of the hearing and explains it has no further information on the merits of the allegations. The company adds that it always operates in compliance with labour laws. It also assures that it conducts constant checks on its suppliers and emphasises that they sign agreements committing to respect the working conditions stipulated in national contracts. FashionUnited has contacted the company for comment.

The role of Tod's in the investigations into illegal gangmastering and exploitation in Chinese factories within the Italian fashion industry had already emerged in July 2025, during the investigation that led to Loro Piana being placed under administration.

Currently, Tod's spa is not under investigation; however, the company is accountable for a lack of control over its production chain.

On September 27, during Milan Fashion Week, Tod's won the Sustainable Fashion Award 2025. The award, organised by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, was in the Craft and Artisanship category. It was awarded for its innovative Tod's Passport project, a digital product passport created for the brand's two iconic products: the Di Bag and the Gommino.

"This project, carried out with the support of Aura Blockchain Consortium and Temera, demonstrates Tod's commitment to sustainability. It was developed to ensure traceability, authenticity and transparency throughout the entire production process, while offering a more complete and conscious experience to the customer," reads a note from the Marche-based company. This statement appears to be in stark contrast to the public prosecutor's claims.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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Diego Della Valle

Italy

Supply Chain

Tod's

Workers Rights