Italy’s Textile Capital Faces the War of the Hangers and Political Turmoil

Just a few kilometers from Florence, the city of Prato has long been known as one of Europe’s textile capitals. For centuries, it has thrived on manufacturing, first with wool and later with fast fashion. Today, Prato is home to the second-largest Chinese community in Italy after Milan.

Over time, this community has come to dominate much of the textile industry once led by local Italians. While many businesses operate legally and contribute significantly to the district’s production, others follow more elusive models, with companies opening and closing within a few years to evade taxes and inspections. In this shadow economy, law enforcement has identified the presence of Chinese organized crime and serious cases of labor exploitation, with workers often housed in the same warehouses where they are employed.

Over the past few years, Prato has been shaken by what local authorities and investigators have called the “war of the hangers.” Behind this expression lies a violent struggle between rival Chinese groups controlling the supply of coat hangers to clothing workshops. What may sound like a minor trade detail is, in fact, a symbol of how control over logistics, accessories, and services tied to the textile industry can become a profitable — and contested — source of power within organized crime networks.

Clashes connected to this business have included intimidation, assaults, and arson attacks, prompting fears that local disputes could escalate into a broader criminal system embedded in Prato’s industrial fabric. Italian law enforcement has linked these episodes to wider issues of illegal gambling, extortion, and money laundering, all involving segments of the Chinese community in Tuscany.

The Italian government has now moved Prato into the national spotlight. On August 15, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi chaired a meeting of the National Committee for Order and Public Security in the city’s prefecture. The gathering, which included the heads of Italy’s police, carabinieri, and intelligence agencies, devoted significant time to Prato after reviewing national security priorities such as terrorism and irregular migration.

According to authorities, a second Carabinieri company will soon be established in Montemurlo, in the province of Prato, strengthening investigative capacity and territorial control. The minister also underlined that Prato, the third-largest city in central Italy, deserves visible attention because of its industrial importance and the challenges posed by organized crime.

As Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi noted during a security meeting in the city, Prato is “not only one of the most important industrial districts in Europe, but also a place where the state must send a clear signal of its determination to fight organized crime.”

This debate over security comes at a politically sensitive moment. The city is currently under government commissioners after the resignation of its mayor, who stepped down in connection with a corruption probe. In June 2025, Mayor Ilaria Bugetti (Democratic Party) resigned after being implicated in a corruption probe that originally stemmed from investigations into Chinese-owned businesses in the city. The absence of an elected administration adds to the perception of fragility in a city that is both an engine of Tuscany’s economy and a frontline in the fight against organized crime.

For Prato’s 200,000 residents, the stakes are high. The “hanger war” is not just a local feud: it reflects the complexities of globalization, migration, and economic competition concentrated in one of Italy’s most dynamic — and most fragile — urban districts.

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