27th edition of Milano Unica
Growth in the number of exhibitors (+4%)
European businesses significantly up (+21%)
Increased attention to sustainability
The ON Tour event, the journey into the origins of textile excellence and sartorial style, dedicates opening night to the Piedmont region and the 80 editions of Ideabiella
Milan, July 10, 2018 – 607 businesses are participating in the 27th edition of Milano Unica, the international Trade Show of Textiles and Accessories presenting their Autumn/Winter 2019-2020 collections, including also the high end offering of the Japan and Korea Observatories and Origin Passion & Beliefs.
The number of exhibitors continues to grow (+4%), from 456 of the past July 2017 to 475, with European businesses increasing from 71 in 2017 to 86 (+21%). This confirms that the market has welcomed the anticipation of the trade show to July.
This edition opened with a round table that focused on the commitment of the different players of the Textiles-Fashion industry to an increasingly strategic issue, namely sustainability. Coordinated by Maria Silvia Sacchi, journalist of Il Corriere della Sera, the speakers at the round table were: Ercole Botto Poala, President of Milano Unica, Andrea Crespi, Chairman Sustainability Committee of Sistema Moda Italia, Carlo Capasa, President of the Italian National Chamber of Fashion and Marino Vago, Presiden of Sistema Moda Italia.
“Is our future sustainable?”
As Ercole Botto Poala said, Milano Unica had already responded – for its part – to the challenge on sustainability in the past February 2018 edition, organizing the participation of 53 businesses, which presented over 250 samples of differently sustainable fabrics and accessories. The July 2018 edition is recording an extraordinary success, with the number of businesses nearly tripled (123 businesses) presenting over 750 product samples. This result confirms the commitment and sensitivity of the most prominent Italian and European producers to product and process sustainability.
In the Sustainability Area, within the Area Tendenze, visitors will find fabrics and accessories classified based on specific categories that reflect the main areas of sustainable innovation.
“The courage to innovate, which has always been a key characteristic of our trade show, has met with – also in this edition – the flattering support of our exhibitors. The overall increase in the number of exhibitors and the double digit growth in the number of European exhibitors finally confirm the wisdom of the decision to anticipate the date of the trade show to July. However, innovation is not only a question of dates, but of content, and this refers also to creativity, well represented both in the collections on display in the booths and, in particular, in the fabrics and accessories showcased in the Area Tendenze. All this is supported by the extraordinary response of our exhibitors who, with regard to product and process sustainability, concretely show their commitment,” said Ercole Botto Poala, President of Milano Unica “I am firmly convinced that sustainability is strategic also for our industry, in addition to relating to the future of our planet in which we live and the future generations will live. As matter of fact, I don’t think that we are just following a trend. We are instead preparing to better compete in a global market, facing new emerging demands that emerge and consolidate into consumer choices,” continued Ercole Botto Poala.
These choices also orient the world of trends at Milano Unica, hence the dedicated Area located in Hall 8, where the fabrics and accessories developed by the participating businesses are showcased in a traditionally exclusive layout, following the storytelling and proposals presented by Stefano Fadda, Milano Unica Art Director, and his team. For the Autumn/Winter 2019-2020 season, developments revolve around three themes: Organic Grunge, featuring soft and warm tones with some energizing accents, Handcrafted Essentialism, creating a balance between an industry-based inspiration, Swedish interior design and softer hues that evoke an Oriental atmosphere and Techno Romantic, playing on lively and up to the minute color palette, with an ethnic vision that ranges from the Old Masters to the color accents of Indonesia and Azerbaijan.
“With more than 46 thousand businesses and over euro 54 million sales, the textiles-apparel industry gains strategic economic relevance in Italy. In fact, we are the world’s second largest exporter of clothing items. This result confirms the producers’ ability to face the different needs of foreign markets. Milano Unica is an excellent showcase for Made-in-Italy products both for Italian and foreign operators and this is why we have supported it since 2005, both by promoting its visibility globally and by developing an intense plan of activities ranging from communication actions to incoming organization. The event will also highlight the ability of our companies to interpret the issue of sustainability, a topic that is becoming increasingly important to consumers and economic operators worldwide,” added Michele Scannavini, President of ICE Agency.
“Our trade show has become a fundamental appointment for our national and international businesses. For this reason we thank ICE Agency for its unfailing and irremissible contribution and for having supported us for decades, both financially and through its professional expertise in promoting our trade show internationally.
Also in this edition, thanks to the collaboration with the operating arm of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, we will see the participation of qualified delegations of buyers and journalists from the world’s most important specialized magazines. Lastly, let me remind that the opening ceremony will end with the now traditional and appreciated ON Tour event, dedicated to Italian creativity, textile expertise, style and sartorial tailoring: the origins, the roots of these values are in our territory, develop from our people, and are in the air. In this edition, we will discover the Piedmont region and celebrate the 40th anniversary of Ideabiella,” underscored Massimo Mosiello, General Director of Milano Unica.
For more information please contact
Milano Unica Press Office
Tel. +39 02 6610 1105
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