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The economic situation is complex, the first signs of a slowdown are evident after an almost euphoric year, 2022 which marked the exit from Covid. Yet the optimism is solid, because it is based on the awareness of the quality and attractiveness of Made in Italy in the world. There are good signals coming from the sector fairs which are taking place in recent days in the pavilions of Rho Fiera in Milan, in synergy with the fashion week inaugurated today in the city.
Homi, the bijoux, jewelry and fashion accessory show, closed yesterday; on the 17th, Micam, the most important international fair dedicated to footwear, Mipel (the international fair dedicated to leather goods and fashion accessories) and TheOneMilano, the outerwear and haute à-porter fair, opened their new editions; today inaugurates Lineapelle, the main exhibition event dedicated to leather and its expressions. Appointments with the SS 2024 collection capable of attracting around 45 thousand buyers from all over the world.
Over a thousand brands are present at the 96th edition of Micam, of which 520 Italian and 504 international, coming from over 30 countries, representing a sector that has over 3,700 companies and more than 72 thousand employees, and which closed the first half of 2023 with satisfactory data: turnover increased by 7.4% and exports by 10.2% compared to the same period of 2022. However, quantities decreased, exported -6.8% and -5.7% those achieved: «It is a small decline which I believe is normal after the post-Covid boom, which however does not concern the value», comments Giovanna Ceolini, Micam president. In this sense, the case of China is emblematic, where exports reached +20.4% in volume and +43.4% in value, involving high-end footwear. Signs of a slowdown are also coming from the domestic market, with a drop of 9.8% in terms of pairs and 7.9% in value in the half-year. «In these first days of the fair our exhibitors are working with satisfaction-she continues. The buyers come from 28 countries, and we also involved influencers from four countries. However, we are cautious about the future: inflation, the conflict in Ukraine, very high banking rates, even the climate are all factors that can certainly influence our industry, which however has all the tools to face all this and to respond to a always very solid demand for made in Italy in the world“.
Twenty-five thousand visitors are expected at Lineapelle, which opens its 102nd edition today, with 1,330 exhibitors from 48 countries. The Italian companies present at the fair generate an annual turnover of over 6.3 billion, 70% deriving from exports, for a total of around 25 thousand employees. In detail, the tanneries present at the fair are worth almost 4 billion a year, the producers of accessories and components 1.7 billion, those of fabrics and synthetics almost 600 million. In the first half of the year the Italian tanning industry recorded significant drops in turnover (-9.5%) and production in volume (-13.4%) compared to the same period last year. «The economic situation, which has been dragging on for months, is very difficult and there are no short-term solutions in sight – explains Fulvia Bacchi, CEO of Lineapelle and general director of Unic. As always, the fair presents itself in the best possible way, both in terms of numbers and initiatives, which also include fashion shows, talks and events in collaboration with schools. Expectations are high, but we must not have too many illusions, since the economic situation derives from factors external to the industry. I am therefore confident about the fair, which will be able to convey an idea of the quality and innovation of our companies, of the richness of our supply chain. It is no coincidence that in pavilion 15 there is a spectacular stand, that of LVMH’s Metiérs d’Art (which hosts the tanneries acquired over time by the group, ed.), precisely to highlight the excellence of these processes”.