The recession affecting the economic system in the Plain of Florence and Prato since 2001, and with greater intensity since2007, have contributed to the acceleration of the process of selection which has long interested the typical activities of the zone favoring a substantial change in the internal equilibrium in the fashion industry. The textile sector, represented mainly by local companies, has continued to decrease, while the number of fi rms, mainly run by the Chinese community, has continued to increase, even though at a slower rate. These fi rms specialize in “ready-to-wear” clothing and are organized in an out- andout parallel district and supported by a global supply chain. The measures to be adopted to create better economic integration and social inclusion of the large, but reserved, Chinese community, must focus on social ethics and legality in order to create a sustainable model of social integration into the local community.