Interesting article in the NYT a few weeks ago about an Italian family, Barbera, who make artisan fabrics. They use traditional methods, age the fabrics for months, work by hand and are struggling to make ends meet. Much like a meaningless cellared in Canada law or the fact that wines made with organic grapes only need to be 70% organic, Luciano Barbera has to deal with a new Made in Italy law. This is the usual watered-down, corporate lobbyist style law that looks good but is merely a facade. Luciano knows battling against corporate interests like Versace is difficult to say the least and supports a simpler solution- transparency. But much like companies opposed to clearer food labeling laws, Santo Versace argues that a clear label would confuse consumers. "In a phone interview, Mr. Versace noted that there was no “Made in Italy” rule before the law he co-wrote, which means his rule is a huge improvement on the free-for-all that had existed. Yes, his company makes less expensive products, like jeans, in countries like Croatia and Turkey, but he said every luxury brand does the same. “Never our top stuff,” he said, through an interpreter. “All of that is made in Italy.” He sounded skeptical about one of Mr. Barbera’s ideas: a label that simply lays out the origins of a garment, stating where its fabric was made, where it was constructed, and so on. “You can’t make a label too complicated,” said Mr. Versace. “You need a simplified label. Otherwise you can’t sell things.”