Made in Italy (by the Chinese) : Economic restructuring and the politics of migration

People around the world are on the move and settling in new, unexpected places. In Prato, Italy, Chinese immigrants now run most of the city’s textiles-apparel companies and even subcontract for such leading designers as Giorgio Armani and Dolce & Gabbana. Italian products once made by Italian workers are now increasingly made…by the Chinese! I argue that this development resulted from an uncanny synchronicity between their business approach and the demands of Italy’s local, familybased, small-batch production environment. In other words, the Chinese thrived because they fit in well with the unique makeup and demands of Italian industry.