Working in the Digital Luxury Industry: Between Artisanal Tradition and Innovation An Analysis of Labour Rights and Inclusion Through Case Studies from Ca' Foscari Luxury Society

Italian luxury industry is facing an epochal transformation: integrating the opportunities offered by the contemporary innovation landscape, from artificial intelligence to collaborative robotics, from digitalization to new practices of inclusion and sustainability, while preserving the authenticity of craftsmanship and ensuring the protection of workers' rights. This research investigates how digital transformation is redefining the relationship between artisanal tradition and technological innovation in the luxury sector, with particular attention to the implications for workers and their employment conditions. The analysis focuses on two critical dimensions: on one hand, the evolution of production processes and the preservation of artisanal savoir-faire; on the other, the impact on training, workplace safety, inclusion, algorithmic transparency, and supply chain responsibility. The methodology adopted is qualitative, based on two emblematic case studies of Italian manufacturing excellence: Golden Goose and Rubelli. Through semi-structured interviews with production and human resources managers from both companies, integrated with the analysis of official corporate documentation, the research explores how these realities are navigating the transition toward Industry 5.0, where technology assumes the role of ally rather than substitute for human ability. The results highlight the emergence of a technological complementarity paradigm, in which digital innovation enhances rather than erodes artisanal competencies, provided that implementation is governed by principles of human centrality, sustainability, and inclusion. Both case studies demonstrate how luxury companies are proactively anticipating the European regulatory framework (from the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive to the AI Act, from the pay transparency directive to the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive), transforming compliance from bureaucratic obligation into competitive advantage. The research contributes to the academic and managerial debate by providing empirical evidence on how the luxury sector can represent a laboratory of excellence for a human-centric digital transformation model, where the preservation of artisanal heritage and the protection of workers' rights become strategic pillars of competitive differentiation. The implications of the study extend beyond the luxury sector, offering insights to rethink the relationship between innovation and tradition across all high value-added manufacturing sectors, contributing to the definition of best practices for digitalization that is simultaneously efficient, sustainable, and socially responsible.