Italian prosecutors investigate luxury group Tod’s for labor abuses, seek ad ban

ROME (AP) — Italian prosecutors have placed luxury group Tod’s and three of its executives under investigation for suspected labor abuses and exploitation, judicial documents showed on Thursday.

According to the documents, obtained by The Associated Press, Milan prosecutor Paolo Storari has also requested a six-month ban on the company’s advertising, with a hearing on the case set for Dec. 3.

In the documents, prosecutors allege that Tod’s — known for its high-end loafers and bags — was fully aware of and complicit in labor exploitation of Chinese workers at subcontracted workshops in Milan and the Marche region.

In a statement issued on Thursday evening, Tod’s denied any wrongdoing and said it will respond to the allegations in the appropriate courts.

In the documents, Storari noted a sort of “intentional blindness” from Tod’s, which had also carried out third-party audits on the workshops, but failed to address the problems they had revealed.

According to prosecutors, the workers’ exploitative conditions included hours exceeding the legal limit, inadequate wages, violations of various workplace safety regulations and degrading housing.

The probe focusing on Tod’s is the latest in a string of Italian police operations and investigations revealing the abusive treatment of subcontracted workers by high-end brands.

In April, Italian police disclosed that Chinese workers employed by an unauthorized subcontractor, produced handbags and accessories for Giorgio Armani.