Major fashion hub sparks backlash over outrageous practices: 'Seemed like paradise'

Major fashion hub sparks backlash over outrageous practices: 'Seemed like paradise'

Prato, a historic Italian city known for its luxury textiles, has been transformed in recent decades by a wave of Chinese immigration. Once a hub of traditional craft-based garment making, Prato has become one of Europe's most prominent fast fashion centers — and with it, a flashpoint for debates over labor rights, cultural identity, and environmental costs. By 2021, more than 27,000 Chinese residents — about 15% of the population — were living …