Italian police have carried out searches at several luxury brands, Milan prosecutors said on Thursday. The operation is part of an investigation into how work is managed in the fashion industry’s supply chain.

According to prosecutors, the companies may have used subcontractors that exploited Chinese labour. The focus is now on how much responsibility can be placed on the brands themselves when production is outsourced to outside contractors.

HBL reported the raids on Thursday. It is still unclear which luxury labels are involved or what further steps investigators may take.