28th edition of Milano Unica
The number of exhibitors is confirmed, along with quality and product array
The number of exhibitors is confirmed, along with quality and product array, in line with the February 2018 edition.
Process innovation is at the core of the Sustainability theme, emphasizing the central role played by increasingly eco-sustainable production.
Presentation of e-milanounica, the new marketplace for textiles and apparel in partnership with Pitti Immagine.
Milan, February 5, 2019. The 28th edition of Milano Unica opens today, consolidating its central role as the trade show of reference for Made-in-Europe and, above all, Made-in-Italy high end textiles and accessories, with the number of exhibitors in line with the past February 2018 edition: 421 businesses in total, of which 80 are foreign (equal to 20%). In addition, there are the businesses participating in the Japan Observatory (31) and in the Korea Observatory (15) for a total of 467 participating organizations.
The following speakers participated in the traditional opening ceremony: Ercole Botto Poala, President of Milano Unica, Mauro Scalia, Director Sustainable Businesses Euratex, Raffaello Napoleone, General Manager of Pitti Immagine, Masahiko Miyake, President of Jfw - Japan Fashion Week, Roberto Luongo, General Manager of ICE, and Michele Geraci, Deputy Secretary for Economic Development.
At the center of the exhibition are the textile proposals and the accessories for the Spring-Summer 2020 season in a selection that will offer visitors only the excellence of high end production for menswear, womenswear and kidswear. Many theme areas and content projects provide insights and inspiration: from the Tendenze, inspired by the Music Menu theme, to the area dedicated to the Sustainability Project, which has come to its third edition and plays a crucial role in the trade show.
In the Opening Ceremony the spotlight is turned to Sustainability and Ercole Botto Poala, President of Milano Unica, once again urged all players involved in the apparel supply chain: “To team up in order to exploit the opportunities offered by a sector where Made-in-Italy textiles and accessories enjoy a globally recognized and undisputed competitive advantage.”
“Sustainable Innovation” is the leitmotif that links all the initiatives revolving around the Project, which saw the participation of approximately 120 businesses presenting a total of nearly 700 samples of textiles and accessories. In this edition, the Project goes over the simple registration of the state of the art of product sustainability, inviting all businesses and stakeholders to challenge themselves with the new ambitious goal of integrating sustainability in all corporate management processes.
“The Sustainability Project stems from the vision that, thanks to the creativity of designers and the ability of managers and engineers in innovating the industrial processes, the industry can transform materials in beautiful, well produced and also eco-sustainable products. We know that there is no Plan B: without the integration of production processes that are more efficient in their use of resources, in the upcoming future we won’t be able to offer either product variety or aesthetic experimentation and new products, which are, in fact, at the core of the world of fashion,” added the President of Milano Unica
In its steady commitment to increasing the visibility of sustainability-oriented businesses, Milano Unica has continuously invested in the Sustainability Project by developing initiatives and projects offered throughout the year, which will be disseminated and promoted through all of its different communication channels.
The Area dedicated to the Sustainability Project offers special visibility to those exhibitors that evolved from product sustainability to the more advanced process sustainability across corporate functions. These businesses distinguish themselves because they have defined long-term improvement targets and commitments, monitoring and reporting plans for the adoption of integrated sustainability management systems.
Final data confirms that the main sustainability actions undertaken by organizations refer to commitments to use hazardous chemical-free production (over 65%) and the implementation of circular production models (over 20%). 33% of businesses, which have adopted the main and most stringent standards and protocols, obtaining the certifications available on the market, reached the most advanced stage of integrated process management, energy efficiency and reduced water consumption.
Complete sets of data are available in the Catalogue of the Sustainability Project, distributed at the trade show and on the Milano Unica website at www.milanounica.it in digital format.
Proposals are not only linked to sustainability. As usual, the trade show presents the Synthesis Areas, with the representative samples of the participating organizations, the Filo Trend Area, dedicated to trends upstream textile production, and the Vintage Area, along with the areas dedicated to Fashion Job, Woolmark, SMI – Sistema Moda Italia, Linen Dream Lab/Celc and the sponsors Banca Sella, Caffè Toraldo and Lauretana. Among the most significant initiatives dedicated to young talents Milano Unica presents Eyes on Me, a showcase for young graduates of fashion schools, while the Special Areas, in addition to the Japan and Korea Observatories, host Origin Passion and Beliefs with a preview of the July Exhibition, featuring a storytelling on Made-in-Italy production of textiles and accessories for the apparel industry.
The Area Tendenze instead presents textiles and accessories manufactured by the participating businesses based on the inspirations, storytelling and suggestions proposed by Stefano Fadda, Artistic Director of Milano Unica, on the occasion of the November presentation. A fascinating journey through different historical periods and music genres in line with the Music Menu theme.
Milano Unica firmly believes in the importance of collaboration between the different stakeholders involved in the supply chain and in the central role of Digital Transformation for the further development of the industry. This is concretely demonstrated by the e-milanounica project, the online marketplace launched in a pilot version in February 2019, which is expected to become fully operational starting from the next July edition.
The project was made possible thanks to the partnership between Milano Unica and Pitti Immagine, combining their expertise to achieve a common goal. In fact, based on the digital platform of Pitti Immagine, Milano Unica developed a project meant to become the exclusive and unique place where demand meets supply for textiles, accessories and apparel, covering all the aspects that relate to marketing, content and promotion, and open to future development.
The commitment to openness and dialogue that has distinguished Milano Unica for years is now extended also to international production chains and markets. The Observatories, which from season to season present the most innovative and interesting textile proposals from Japan and Korea to Italian and European producers, testify to it. For this reason, with the 28th edition, Milano Unica is pleased to celebrate the 10th edition of the Japan Observatory, organized in collaboration with JFW & JETRO.
“Also the 28th edition comes with new contents: not only the new proposals of textiles and accessories are presented, but also many useful events focusing on increasing the visibility of our trade show. An appointment made possible thanks to funding provided by the Italian Ministry for Economic Development, and the indispensable collaboration with ICE Agency, which, once again, has ensured the qualified participation of international buyer delegations and journalists from the world’s most renowned specialized magazines.
A special acknowledgement goes to the 10th edition of the Japan Observatory, which enabled all players to directly come in contact with an extraordinarily creative culture producing innovative textile proposals that significantly complement our offering,” explained Massimo Mosiello, General Director of Milano Unica.
For additional information
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