Italian Designers
Valdarno in Tuscany is the valley that runs from Florence down towards Rome and it is the home of Prada. There is a Prada and Gucci factory shop within an hour of the Chianti.
www.Prada.it
www.gucci.it

Outlet shopping 
LO SPACCIO Outlet shopping at Gucci,Prada,
Dolce & Gabbana, and Fendi.
How can so many Italians afford to be dressed always in Prada and Gucci? Simple.
1) They only have a few outfits which they wear often, and; 2) they own a little book called Lo Scoprioccassioni (Italian language version) or designer bargains in Italy. One of the best kept secrets in Italy, this book is a road map to the best shopping treasures in Italy, North and South, and is available in all major book stores throughout Italy in English or Bilingual editions. Did you know that Banfi shoes can be bought direct from the factory for about 1/5th of the price in retail stores? In our opinion, these are the most important addresses in Tuscany which we'll give you here:

D&G
DOLCE AND GABBANNA INDUSTRIA S.P.A.- Spaccio Aziendale: Localita S.Maria Maddalena, 49-Pian Dell'Isola,Incisa in Val A'arno (FI) Tel: +39 055 833 1300 Fax +39 055 833 1301 Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 9.00 to 19.00. Sunday 10.00 to 19.00. Please call ahead to check opening hours as they are subject to sudden changes.  

Directions to D&G
From Milan – Take the A1 Motorway towards Florence/Rome.
From Rome: Take the A1 Motorway towards Florence.
Exit the A1 at Incisa and turn right. Follow the SS69. Look for a brown and Yellow sign for  D&G on the Left. The address' are as they appear on the business cards of these out lets. To get to Gucci, continue past the turn for D&G on the SS69 until you see a sleek white square building with a sign 'CAFE'.

Prada
I PELLETTIERI D'ITALIA (Prada) - Località Levanella, SS 69
52025 Montevarchi (AR) - Tel : +39 055 91 901 Opening hours : from Monday to Saturday 9.30 till 19.30. Sunday 10.00 to 1.00 and 2.00 to 8.00 Please call ahead to check opening hours as they are subject to sudden changes. Saturday is the busiest day. Admission is possible until 1/2 an hour before closing time. How to get there : take the A1 autostrada - Exit 'Valdarno', then continue on the SS 69 towards arezzo. Pass through Montevarchi and 'Località levanella' after the village pass a gas station and then follow signs for I PELLETTIERI D'ITALIA in the 'Zona Industriale' on the left. The outlet is in the back of the main factory complex. It is a big low lying factory on your left. Do not hesitate to show local people the address to get a direction as it is hard to find.

FAQ about the outlets :
Will they have the particular things I am looking for ? Outlet shopping is hit and miss. You could be unlucky big time, you might not find a thing to buy,you might find something you'd never thought of. Nothing is certain. Even the staff at the outlet cannot be sure from day to day what stock they will have.
Can certain things be sent to me? Sending this type of merchandise abroad would breach all trade agreements and undercut the flagship stores. If you want outlet prices, you must make the effort to go to the outlet.
Will the staff at the outlets speak English ? Yes, they will also know all international sizing.
For outlet shopping, which is the most convenient airport to fly into ? The closest airports to the Prada and Gucci out lets are, in order; Florence, Pisa, Rome.
Can I get there by public transport ? Getting around by public transport is possible but not optimum. Take a train from Florence or Arezzo to Montevarchi. From there take a taxi to the outlets. You may want to ask it to wait for you whilst you shop or arrange for the same taxi to return for you at a fixed time as the outlets are all in quite remote areas. 
Is a decent hotel near by to stay in and for a reasonable price?
We do not have hotels in area of the outlets on our books and so cannot personally recommend anything. If your goal is to outlet shop you could just arrive in the area and ask the locals where to stay - as it is not a tourist area you should find something. The outlets are about 30 minutes from Florence by car.
When is the best time to arrive ? It is best to arrive at Prada before it opens at about 9.00. At the door you take a ticket and then retire to the very chic bar/café next door, which has an electronic number counter to let you know when it's your turn. The choicest items are always there first thing and go quickly. Keep your ticket. Anything you think you might want to buy you can give to a sales assistant who will store it for you whilst you rampage on to the next discovery, at the end you have a second chance to re look at everything calmly and make your final selection. Do not bother going on weekends, public holidays or during the peak sale periods (when the best old stock is sent to the stores). As with all outlets, it can be hit or miss, some times you will be lucky and other times you will not find anything worth buying. At Prada 9 times out of 10 you will be stuck for choice 1 time you won't find a thing to buy, it depends on luck. At Gucci it is the reverse but that one time you are unlucky you will be so big time. Gucci never has lines/queues for this reason and so visit Prada first and then Gucci. As the other outlets only opened in July 2001 at present they do not have mob numbers of clients.
What about the sales in regular stores ? During sale periods (Early January and early July onwards) the bargains in the stores are almost as good as in the outlets. The outlets never have sales.
What about outlets in other parts of Italy ? We have visited very good outlets near to lake Como (Armani, Fendi, Iceburg) and Lago Maggiore (mainly pottery, china and kitchen ware)and in Legnano (mainly shoes, Fratelli Rosetti etc.) as it is far from us, we cannot give first hand information. The best idea is to buy Lo Scoprioccasione) when you arrive at the Airport here.