What to know about Asvoff winner 'Made in Italy made by the Chinese'

'Made in Italy by the Chinese' received the award for best Chinese film at the Asvoff fashion film festival, which took place from November 7 to 10, 2024. The documentary tells the story of how Chinese immigrants, mainly from the port city of Wenzhou, appropriated the famous 'Made in Italy' label, which is supposed to glorify the know-how of Italian artisans.

With its "made in" title, Italy cultivates, like France, the idea of ​​high-end traditional manufacturing. Yet, the industrial reality of luxury has upset this outdated image, as unveiled in the film 'Made in Italy by the Chinese'.

Directed by DJ Clark, and presented and produced by Mingjie Wang, a journalist specialising in Chinese issues around the world, the film infiltrates the Chinese clothing and leather goods manufacturing industry in Prato and Florence, the vibrant heart of Made in Italy.

The film explains that in the 1990s, Prato faced a pressing challenge: a shortage of labour and an inability to keep up with fashion. As a result, Prato now has one of the largest concentrations of Chinese immigrants in Europe.

He goes beyond the negative idea that one might have of Italian industrial districts to show how this community has today reached a milestone by opening its own businesses. In fact, in terms of Italian hands, he proves, with images to support it, that the workforce is now Chinese, but not only.

He says that the second generation has not only opened its own manufacturing units, but now hires people from all backgrounds, including Italians.

His demonstration applies as much to fast fashion (pronto moda, in Italian) as to luxury. Even if no brand is mentioned (we know how reluctant industrialists are to give the names of the brands they work for), the scene showing a bag with the GC monogram is striking.

"The story is not limited to Prato," the producer told FashionUnited. "It is also happening in Florence, for the production of high-end items: Gucci, Prada, Armani, for example. The perception that leather goods, sold for between one and two thousand euros, are manufactured by Italians is partly false. They are also made by Africans or Bangladeshis."

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.FR. It was translated to English using an AI tool called Genesis and edited by Rachel Douglass..

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