Prato, a Tuscan city near Florence, is Europe’s largest
textile hub and a microcosm of globalisation. Behind its
Renaissance image lies a world of fast fashion, immigrant
labour, and shifting economies. With over 40% of its residents
of Chinese and South Asian origin, Prato has the highest
proportion of immigrants in Italy. Thousands of small
garment workshops run day and night – mostly immigrant-
owned – born from the entrepreneurial drive of Wenzhou
migrants who transformed “Made in Italy” into a global fast-
fashion brand. Today, new Pakistani and Bangladeshi workers
fill the hardest jobs, while Chinese entrepreneurs dominate
production. Pratopia follows three protagonists: Laura, an
Italian brand consultant torn between ideals and career;
Aoka, a Wenzhou-born businessman longing for musical
expression; and Ghulam, a Pakistani newcomer dreaming
of his own label. Their intersecting lives reveal a city where
capitalism’s cycles of exploitation and renewal unfold – and
where dignity and solidarity might yet reimagine the future.