It’s a real dirty on the reputation of a big name in Italian fashion. Giorgio Armani is accused of using illegal Chinese workers in degrading conditions to manufacture bags and accessories.

For a period of one year, Giorgio Armani Operations SpA, which produces clothing, accessories, and decorative items for the Giorgio Armani Group brands, has been placed under receivership.

Investigators believe the parent company used an entire supply chain based on caporalato, a term often used in the agricultural sector to describe the exploitation of illegal labor. The company used legal subcontractors who, in turn, used illegal subcontractors.

In recent weeks, police discovered that Manifatture Lombarde Srl, a supplier to Giorgio Armani Operations SpA on the outskirts of Milan, was subcontracting leather goods production to clandestine workshops.