On the one hand, the comforting numbers of the post-pandemic recovery; on the other hand, the uncertainties linked to the war in Ukraine, primarily the increase in the cost of energy and the difficulties in finding raw materials. There is only one way to overcome this phase of profound change: creating a system and focusing on cohesion and sharing, embracing innovation. This was the theme that crossed the speeches of the guests of the Sole 24 Ore Luxury Summit, broadcast yesterday in streaming by the Milanese studios of Sky and introduced by Fabio Tamburini, director of Sole 24 Ore, who mentioned the number high number of Summit subscribers (1,600), connected to follow the work remotely.
Lunelli (Altagamma): “We await the return of tourists and launch a program on sustainability”
“In the long term, expectations are very positive, but making forecasts in this period is difficult – said Matteo Lunelli, president of Altagamma -. It is true that in times of inflation luxury suffers less, but it is also true, for example, that tourist purchases have not yet returned: in Italy 60% of luxury goods were bought by foreigners. Made in Italy must be able to maintain its values, quality, sustainability also understood as a relationship with the territory, aspects that are increasingly appreciated by new luxury customers. And on the subject of sustainability, on the occasion of the Altagamma Day in which we will celebrate the Foundation’s 30th anniversary, we will present a charter of values with which we will gather our commitment to sustainability ».
Marcolin (Confindustria Moda): “Energy and raw materials a risk for SMEs”
In general, this period opens up new innovation challenges for companies in the sector: “The war poses many problematic aspects, the cost of energy which has an impact especially on small businesses upstream of the supply chain, which are no longer able to maintain sustainable levels of margins , but also the procurement of precious metals for goldsmithing, linen, chemical products for textiles and leather, of which Ukraine was one of the main producers “, noted Cirillo Marcolin, president of Confindustria Moda, who also underlined the commitment of the association in solving the problem of training and mismatch between supply and demand for work in the sector.
Tamborini (Smi): “Rethinking the distribution of margins in the supply chain”
For Sergio Tamborini, president of Sistema Moda Italia, «it is important to work on a new and fairer redistribution of margins in the supply chain, but cohesion is fundamental. We have a manufacturing structure that no other country can boast of, but the difficulties that SMEs are facing, above all, could make it a prey of attention from others “. “In Italy we produce 70% of quality fashion and this primacy also imposes on us the responsibility of being innovative – said Carlo Capasa, president of the Chamber of Fashion -. Fashion has made the values of sustainability, inclusion, gender equality its own, and in this it can be the leader of innovation for other industries as well “.
Ruzzi (Accenture): “Better technologies make the metaverse possible”
Innovation that today inevitably also passes from an evolved relationship with the digital world, which today leads to the metaverse environments: “It is not yet definitive, but the transition to the metaverse is already underway – explained Andrea Ruzzi, Fashion & Luxury manager for Europe by Accenture, which in Milan has for years created a Customer Innovation Network, a hub of reference at an international level where innovative solutions for brands are tested. «Compared to past experiments such as Second Life – continued Ruzzi – we have more advanced technologies that have made it possible to multiply the squares and improve the experience, for an audience of 2.7 billion potential users. In this virtual world, fashion plays a decisive role because it responds to the need to represent one’s digital identity: by choosing between different clothes and accessories, each of us can personalize our avatar and differentiate ourselves from the others “.