The Red Carpet

With 4,000 companies that employ 30,000 Chinese expatriates and a turnover of nearly €2 billion, Prato is the only ethnic industrial district making low-cost clothing in Europe. These staggering figures result from an organized system of illegality and the exploitation of cheap labor. Red is the color of the blood of the seven Chinese workers who were burned alive in December 2013 at the factory where they worked. Red is also a color that brings good luck; in celebration of the Chinese New Year, they often decorate the factories in which they work with long red drapes and open up the ‘theater of their lives’ to the gaze of the outside world. Finally, red is the color of the runway where famous actresses and models show off the elegant gowns made in Italy. The multi-purpose of red invites reflection about the impact of the fashion industry on the economy of a country, as well as its impact on the living conditions of migrant communities, where simply looking away seems to be the dominant solution.

Stefano Morelli (1979), italian photojournalist (ODG of Tuscany, No. 113686), based in Tuscany. He graduated in Psychology with a photographic field research thesis in Visual Anthropology, titled Education in Rwanda in the post-genocide period. His works are published in leading Italian newspapers and magazines. Currently he is collaborating with NGOs and with the Chair of Visual Anthropology, University of Florence. His personal projects is focusing on Albanian society during its entering the E.U.