Italian fashion and design have always been innovative and in constant transformation, but the global success – indeed, the leadership – of the products of these two sectors is linked not only to creativity, but also to the link with craftsmanship and manufacturing. , that is to the supply chain, which no other country in the world has in the textile-fashion-accessory and furniture-design sector. To strengthen the leadership, the two sectors are investing in two other fundamental elements, digitization and sustainability, fueling a virtuous circle that also serves to attract talents and skills.
These are the topics addressed in the first round table of the second day of the Made in Italy Summit, preceded by an interview with Deputy Foreign Minister Marina Sereni, who recalled the importance of the next G20, wanted by Italy as the current president, and who will keep attention on geopolitics and on how important it is, for Italy and for all the G20 countries, define the new world balances, “which also revolve around the future of Afghanistan and the importance of countries such as Qatar, which will host the extraordinary G20 ».
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The Middle Eastern country is in the spotlight these days as well as a guest of the Expo, where there is naturally a large Italian pavilion. Alessandro Binello, CEO and co-founder of Quadrivio, a group of which the Made in Italy Fund is a member, a thematic fund focused on SMEs in the fashion, design, beauty and food & wine sectors. Quadrivio’s investments in fashion include Dondup, 120% Lino and Gcds, innovative brands with great growth opportunities. “This year we have invested about 300 million in fashion, in 2022 it will be 500 – explained Binello -. To govern the transformation processes that the pandemic has greatly accelerated, large capital is needed, to be allocated to the new distribution paradigms, which revolve around web platforms, and to the need to present not only the products of a brand, but its values and its history and, increasingly important for the new generations, its commitment to sustainability ».
Claudio Marenzi, president of Herno, a company that exports high-end (and not only) outerwear to the world from Lake Maggiore: «We are still treating sustainability as a theme in itself, to be included among the priorities of a company or a brand. I believe instead that it should become an integral part of every mental and production process – Marenzi said -. The way in which a collection is designed must change, from the choice of materials to the number of components of each garment and it must be a change in the entire supply chain “.
The position on the role of young consumers is more nuanced: «The sensitivity to these issues, in the new generations, varies a lot: in the West and in particular in the countries of northern Europe it is very strong, much less in Asia and China. The truth is – concluded Marenzi – that the path to become more sustainable from an environmental and social point of view must not be seen only as a market need, but as an evolution of the way of being and producing. We must embrace it with conviction, because it will not be a painless path, neither short nor at no cost. We need a lot of mental energy and, of course, fresh capital ».