The Red Carpet

• Prize
• Photographer
  Stefano Morelli, Italy

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.