Explorations

Violence against women: a cultural problem

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With regressive attitudes growing amongst the young, how do we build a future of prevention?


Yesterday, 25th November, marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, established by the UN in 1999. However, reflection and action cannot be confined to a single day.

Tragically, not a day passes without news of a femicide. And if not explicitly, then there are reports of online violence, manipulation, oppression, and the absence of equal opportunities. In other words, there are constant attempts to silence and diminish the female figure.

It is a sobering thought that this violence was only formally recognised as a violation of human rights in 1993, with the adoption of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (DEVAW) by the UN General Assembly. This was further reinforced by the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, which also acknowledged it as a human rights violation.

Right. Formally recognised only in 1993…

Violence against women: data and context


The data on femicides are not just ‘crime news,’ but the last, tragic link in a chain. According to Istat, over 31% of women in Italy have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence in their lifetime (from the age of 16). Furthermore, the European Parliament states that one in three women in the EU has experienced physical violence, sexual violence, or threats as an adult.

United Nations data indicate that one woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by an intimate partner or family member.

Femicide is the culmination of violence that often began much earlier. We need to talk about it to recognise the signs long before it is too late.

As Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, insightfully notes:

“For the first time in history, repeated studies are suggesting that the most misogynistic, outdated, regressive attitudes towards women and girls are now the most common amongst the youngest.”

Dismantling stereotypes: the “I didn’t expect that.”


How many times have we heard “but he was a good guy”? It is time to dismantle this dangerous cliché. The “monster” does not exist; what exists is the “normal” man who does not accept rejection and who considers a woman his property. Violence lies there, in pathological jealousy, in control, in stalking. We must learn to recognise these red flags, because there is no such thing as a “violent look”.

A focus on prevention: what can we actually do?


Beyond indignation, we need prevention. Prevention means sexual and emotional education in schools, to teach respect and how to manage emotions. It means supporting anti-violence centres, which save lives every day. It means, for each of us, not looking the other way when we hear a worrying argument from a neighbour. Violence is fought with culture.

Yet, in Italy, the government appears to disagree with this approach. Indeed, Minister Roccella has stated that there is no data to prove that sexual and emotional education in schools helps to prevent violence.

Final thoughts: violence against women is a cultural problem


Before we conclude, we also want to suggest reading a powerful testimony written by one of our friends—a heartbreaking story of abuse that sheds light on the real, everyday consequences of this cultural problem. (Find it here.)

As we reflect on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we must be clear that the problem is systemic. Women start from a disadvantaged position, as we are still considered a possession of men—whether husbands, partners, or family members. We are still considered less than men.

The subordination or perceived inferiority of women is the oldest prejudice in human history.

Violence against women is a cultural problem. And fighting it requires an everyday commitment—especially in a society facing cultural regression.

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Altagamma Observatory 2025: a study in cautious optimism

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While the luxury market is apparently stable, the report’s own data reveals a sector in profound transition


The recent Altagamma Observatory 2025 report, presented in Milan, offers a seemingly positive outlook: a stable global high-end market of €1.44 trillion and a forecasted +5% recovery in 2026. However, a closer reading reveals a more complex and less reassuring picture. 

The report adopts what we could describe as a form of cautious, institutional realism. It is a framing that often feels softened, designed to reassure the industry rather than deliver unvarnished truths.

While confidence may attract investors, change can only come from a clear-eyed assessment of the challenges. The industry’s preference for good news should not come at the expense of truth, which is the real foundation of credibility and meaningful transformation.

The core contradictions: stability versus a sector in crisis


The report’s central narrative of stability is undermined by its own data. In fact, these data paint a portrait of a market defined by polarisation, where opposing realities coexist.

1. The myth of a monolithic market

The headline figure of €1.44 trillion masks severe divergences. While the ultra-wealthy continue to spend on jewellery (+4/6%) and experiences, the aspirational consumer is retreating. This is starkly reflected in the collapse of leather goods and footwear (-7/-5%)—the heart of accessible luxury. This isn’t a slowdown. It is a clear signal that the customer who once bought bags and shoes as status symbols is now struggling or has shifted priorities.

2. A fragmented and defensive fashion sector

This polarisation is acutely felt in fashion. The moderate +4% growth in apparel hides a reality where only a few brands thrive while others suffer—a dynamic the report itself describes as “highly polarised among brands.” This fragmentation is exacerbated by:

  • The threat of ultra-fast fashion. Carlo Capasa (CNMI) explicitly identifies the “growth of ultra-fast fashion products imported from China” as a “crucial issue to address,” framing it as an existential risk.
  • A crisis in distribution. Traditional wholesale channels and department stores are confirmed to be “in crisis,” undermining the foundational sales model for many brands.
  • Defensive brand strategies. The reliance on outlets to clear unsold stock and the forecast that high-end brands will introduce “lower price proposals” in 2026 are not signs of health. They indicate an inability to sell at full price and a risk of brand value dilution.
3. Geopolitical optimism versus ground-level realities

The reported “recovery” in the Americas (+0/+2% in 2025) feels tenuous against the backdrop of a weak dollar, tariffs, and a climate of uncertainty. This growth stems not from a buoyant general economy but from the resilience of the Top Tier. High Net Worth Individuals drive this, with their domestic spending and higher average transaction values propping up the figures.

Altagamma Observatory 2025: the “sugar-coated” lens of the report


These contradictions are presented through a specific, mitigating lens, which explains the report’s softened tone.

  1. A partisan purpose. 
    As a foundation for Italian luxury, Altagamma’s primary role is to defend and promote the sector. Its objectives—to reassure investors, signal resilience to the government, and promote the Made in Italy system—naturally discourage alarmist messaging.
  2. Corporate lexicon.
    The consistent use of terms like stable, resilient, and consolidate serves to normalise stagnation and decline. Yet the report presents a -7% drop in a core category as part of a broadly stable landscape.
  3. The “Yes, but…” rhetoric.
    The report consistently employs a technique of admitting a problem only to immediately counter it with hope. For instance: “Yes, China is down, BUT HNWIs are increasing”. So, this creates a glass-half-full narrative that can obscure the severity of the situation for many players.
  4. Long-term faith over short-term pain.
    The emphasised +5% growth forecast for 2026 acts as a lifeline, encouraging the industry to view current difficulties as “temporary headwinds” on the path to a “bright future.”

Final thoughts


The Altagamma Observatory 2025 provides the most realistic photograph yet of a luxury market that is no longer a monolith, but a collection of micro-markets with opposing dynamics. So, is it sugar-coating the situation? Yes, in part.

However, for the attentive reader, it also highlights undeniable structural shifts, even if wrapped in boardroom language. It makes clear that the aspirational consumer is in crisis, the old model of endless price increases is broken, and the new drivers are value, ethics, and experiences.

In conclusion, the report is convincing in its diagnosis of key trends. But remains overly optimistic and diplomatic in its tone. For a truly dispassionate analysis, one must cross-reference its findings with reports from investment banks and independent analysts who are not tasked with safeguarding an entire ecosystem. 

Ultimately, Altagamma is doing its job. It is presenting Italian luxury as resilient and forward-looking, despite the evidence of a painful and fundamental restructuring.

But one question arises: do investors truly fall for data so cleverly dressed up?

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Pambianco Fashion Summit: thirty years of fashion, from designers to large groups. What future for Made in Italy?

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When sustainability becomes a buzzword and growth remains the real goal


We have just followed the 30th Pambianco Fashion Summit. Once again, sustainability was the magic word everyone loved to repeat. But immediately afterwards came the true priority: growth. Always growth.

In this panel, ultra-fast fashion from China plays the villain, while Northern European fast fashion receives applause. After all, H&M is on stage to explain circularity.

And so the question returns, louder after every panel:
What haven’t these CEOs, presidents, managers, founders and the rest understood about the meaning of sustainability?
Because the more they say it, the more the word sounds like a joke.

Consumers want authenticity—so why is fashion still pretending?


Erika Andreetta (PwC Italy) highlights what already seems obvious:

  • People want reliable, transparent, consistent brands. In short, authenticity.
  • They seek alignment with cultural values.
  • Second-hand is growing three times faster than traditional fashion.
  • Outlet shopping is growing five times faster.
  • Value matters: products aligned with personal values, at the right price.
  • Brands still produce too much—and don’t sell their overproduction.
  • Multi-brand stores have become the places where people actually look for something new.

As for European fashion, the disillusionment is generational:

  • Young people don’t see originality.
  • Baby boomers have other priorities.
  • Gen Xers find prices unjustifiable.

Fashion listens, but selectively.

Pambianco Fashion Summit: Sburlati, “a system under attack”


According to Sburlati (Confindustria Moda), the fashion ecosystem is under pressure on three fronts:

  1. From the East: exports down 3%, imports up 5%, fueled by China (+18%).
    Postal packages under €150 pay no customs duties or VAT—an obvious distortion.
  2. From the West: a weak dollar, double tariffs in the US, and a push for local brands.
  3. From within: a fragile Italian market.

Sburlati came to a dramatic conclusion:

“We are on the brink of collapse and risk ending up like the automotive industry.”

Capasa (CNMI): the luxury narrative is shifting


A negative narrative surrounds luxury — one that started in China.
Proposed solutions include:

  • An anti–fast fashion law with tariffs across the board.
  • A French-style approach: taxes on packages and a ban on misleading advertising.
  • Support for new businesses at a time when more are closing than opening.

Capasa adds a point on young consumers: “Young people are all environmentalists. We must explain to them that fast fashion is not. We need to explain the value of quality and creativity.”

And then… H&M entered the room


This is where the contradictions become glaring.

The industry complains — rightly — about Chinese ultra-fast fashion. However, it then invites H&M, a symbol of Western fast fashion, to discuss circularity and therefore “sustainability.”

So yes, we ask again:
What exactly have these leaders failed to understand about sustainability?
Can a brand built on overproduction ever be sustainable?
Because every time fast fashion is framed as “sustainable,” we’re entering the realm of greenwashing.

E-commerce


Another point raised: a shift in digital strategy is necessary.

  • Over 60% of brands are not ready.
  • Yet today, 80% of sales involve a digital touchpoint.

Clothing & sustainability

  • The idea of more durable, timeless garments is gaining traction — pieces suitable for multiple seasons and less overconsumption.
  • 54% of products are sold on sale. The second month of sales is the strongest — meaning consumers wait for the sales of the sales.
  • Millennials (28–44 years old) spend more — around 36 items per year.
  • Clothing is losing value; personal care and beauty are more engaging.
  • Women continue to consume a lot, but above all, they remain tied to fast fashion.
  • Gen Z is starting to think about quality, longer-lasting pieces, and niche products.
  • Young people are the demographic most sensitive to sustainability — but garments should not cost more than their traditional counterparts.
  • Gen Z wants clarity: What is a sustainable garment?
    A simple question the industry will probably never answer. But we do — you’ll find the answer in This Is Greenwashing here.

Final thoughts


In conclusion, the 30th Pambianco Fashion Summit analysed fashion, from designers to large groups, and attempted to explore what the future holds for Made in Italy.

If sustainability continues to coexist with an obsession for infinite growth, with overproduction, with contradictory narratives, the word will lose all meaning.

Until the industry stops applauding whoever says “circularity” the loudest and starts reducing — truly reducing — its impact, these summits will remain conversations about sustainability without actual sustainability.

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COP30 in Belém: climate promises vs fossil fuel politics

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With 1,600 lobbyists in attendance—outnumbering most nations—the summit’s goals of finance and justice face a critical test


As the second week of the COP30 climate summit begins in Belém, Brazil—in the heart of the Amazon—the stakes are becoming sharper and harder to ignore. The world faces a profound contradiction: the need for urgent, radical action to address record-breaking temperatures collides with the overwhelming presence of the very industry driving the crisis. The initial discussions have set the stage, but the most difficult negotiations now begin.

Against this backdrop of unprecedented lobbyist attendance, delegates are confronting an immense and politically charged agenda. In short, six critical issues will determine if COP30 delivers real change or just repeats empty promises.

The six defining issues of COP30


1. Preventing runaway warming: the 1.5°C lifeline.
The data are stark: current national pledges put the world on track for a catastrophic 2.3–2.5°C of warming. In fact, overshooting the 1.5°C target is now almost certain. The task in Belém is to pressure major emitters into steeper, faster emissions cuts, aiming to make the overshoot as small and as brief as possible. Yet this effort is inevitably complicated by the presence of 1,600 fossil fuel lobbyists. Indeed, their influence risks diluting ambition behind closed doors.

2. Funding climate adaptation: paying for survival.
Developing nations are demanding solutions to the enormous financial gap facing communities already suffering climate-fuelled storms, droughts, and rising seas. COP30 is the deadline for agreeing on a new global finance goal for adaptation. But success means ensuring vulnerable countries can build real resilience. An urgent necessity that sits uneasily alongside the fact that fossil fuel lobbyists outnumber every country delegation except Brazil’s.

3. Unlocking trillion-dollar finance: from pledges to projects.
The central challenge remains converting grand climate finance commitments into actual, accessible flows. A proposed roadmap aims to mobilise $1.3 trillion each year by 2035 for developing countries. Negotiators will now focus on reforming global financial systems, so public funds can leverage private investment. But these over “real money” happen alongside the significant influence of petrostates. Azerbaijan, the UAE, and Egypt—all fossil fuel major producers—hosted the last three summits.

For a deeper look at this dynamic, read our previous analysis: Is it time to give up on the COPs?

4. Scaling creative solutions: beacons of hope.
Despite the political tension, COP30 is also a launchpad for concrete initiatives. Highlights include the Beat the Heat programme for sustainable cooling, the Food Waste Breakthrough to cut methane emissions, and the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, designed to pay countries for preserving forests. These examples offer a glimpse of what coordinated climate action could achieve, if matched by political will.

5. Ensuring a just transition: the Belém action mechanism.
The shift to a green economy must be equitable. In fact major expected outcome is the Belém Action Mechanism for Just Transition, a framework intended to support workers and communities dependent on high-carbon industries through job creation, training, and structural support. This commitment to justice is essential in a process where powerful economic actors dominate.

6. Reigniting the Paris spirit in a “decade of delivery.”
Nearly a decade after the hope of the 2015 Paris Agreement, COP30 aims to recapture that momentum and mark the start of a true “decade of delivery”. The goal is to finally translate lofty pledges into action. Yet that ambition is being tested by the sheer scale of industry involvement, with recent investigations intensifying long-standing concerns about the summit’s integrity.

Final thoughts: a summit at a crossroads


In conclusion, the message from Belém is clear, yet profoundly conflicted. As the second week opens, the technical challenges of emissions cuts, finance, and adaptation are firmly on the table.

However, the real battle for this summit’s outcome will be fought not over the official agenda, but over the unspoken power dynamics in the negotiating rooms. With one in every 25 participants representing the fossil fuel industry—and those delegates outnumbering the combined representation of the ten most climate-vulnerable nations—the question is no longer merely what will be decided, but who is truly deciding it.

Ultimately, the world is watching to see whether COP30 can overcome this contradiction and accelerate genuine action, or whether the so-called “decade of delivery” will once again be co-opted by the forces of delay.

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Greenwashing: The system is designed to fail. It’s time to see clearly

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Our guide to spotting greenwashing — born from witnessing the system’s hijacking — now available in Italian


How can people tell what is truly sustainable — or confidently say: this is greenwashing?

Let’s take one example we’ve just shared: African organisations are accusing a major UN circularity project of unreliable data and a tainted process.
This isn’t just a failure; it’s a hijacking.

But how can we distinguish between genuine initiatives and those that are not?
The core conflict is no longer just about data — it’s about who gets to define circularity and sustainability.

Side-by-side comparison of 'This is Greenwashing' English book cover and 'Questo è Greenwashing' Italian edition book cover, showing the two versions of the guide to spotting false environmental claims.
Questo è greenwashing – This is Greenwashing

Greenwashing: A system designed to fail


When fast-fashion entities help set the rules for a UN process meant to regulate them, the outcome is predictable: a system designed to fail.
In other words, a system that protects overproduction and waste under the guise of sustainability.

This is greenwashing at the highest level — the green fog at its thickest — designed to confuse us into compliance while the real work of change is undermined.

And this is precisely why we wrote This is Greenwashing.

This eBook goes beyond spotting a fake “eco-friendly” label.
It’s a guide to understanding the systemic lies that corrupts projects like the UNEP’s. It equips you with tools to see through the green fog created by the very systems meant to protect us.

We wrote it because when regulation fails — or is hijacked — awareness becomes our strongest line of defence.

In a world where the credibility of global environmental governance hangs in the balance, we must equip ourselves with the power to see clearly, demand better, and stop being manipulated.

This is Greenwashing – Now available in Italian


🌍 Now available in Italian: Your guide to seeing through the green fog
We are proud to launch This Is Greenwashing in Italian.

This guide will help you:
✔ Decode the jargon and spot lies at a glance
✔ Understand the tactics used not just by brands, but by entire systems to appear “green”
✔ Arm yourself with practical knowledge to make informed choices

In a system designed to fail, knowledge isn’t just power — it’s resistance.

📘 🇮🇹 Get your Italian eBook here: books2read.com/u/mYJ8lP
📘 🇬🇧 Get your English eBook here: https://books2read.com/u/bpgxOX

📣 Please help spread the word by leaving a review — it makes all the difference.

“This is greenwashing’s greatest crime: distracting us with false solutions as the planet burns.”

Spot the lies. Demand better.

P.S. Share this with anyone who questions the ‘sustainable’ façade. It’s time we clear the green fog, together.

 🌿 Now available as an eBook — the print version will follow.

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