Milano Unica February SS 19
Double digit growth (+14%) in the number of exhibitors
The future of textiles for apparel: "What's next for fashion textiles?". Eco-sustainability and the digital world.
Milan, February 6, 2018. The 26th edition of Milano Unica opened with speeches by Ercole Botto Poala, President of Milano Unica, David Orban, faculty member and advisor at the Singularity University, Pietro Sella, CEO of Banca Sella Holding, Claudio Marenzi, President of Confindustria Moda, and Ivan Scalfarotto, Italian Deputy Secretary for Economic Development.
After the important results obtained in July 2017, this edition relaunches with a significant increase in the number of qualified exhibitors (51), for a total of 416 businesses and a remarkable double digit growth (+14%). The offering also includes 34 select exhibitors in the Japan Observatory and 20 in the Korea Observatory. The total comes to 470 select textile companies.
“Milano Unica consolidates its international leadership in the excellence of textiles and accessories with a wide ranging offering and a positive economic scenario. Today, we can confirm that women’s textiles have gained considerable ground in the high end market, while men’s textiles present their best season’s collections and accessories showcase a varied and composite quality offering,” said Ercole Botto Poala.
“The double digit growth in the number of exhibitors is evidence of the fact that the strategic choice of anticipating the dates of the Trade Show was bold and farsighted. Today’s challenge is combining sustainability and development, a digital approach and the culture of craftsmanship, the tradition of Italian textiles and new trends. I am certain that our entrepreneurs are up to the challenge and that many are already facing it effectively. The task of the Italian Ministry for Economic Development is supporting them by promoting the creation of synergies in order to enable Italian excellences to compete more efficiently in the international markets,” confirmed Ivan Scalfarotto, Italian Deputy Secretary for Economic Development.
“The textiles-clothing industry plays a major role in Italian economy. With over 400,000 workers and 47,000 businesses, Italy is the world’s second largest exporter of clothing items. This result reflects the dynamic approach of the sector’s entrepreneurs and their ability to quickly adapt to the different needs of the foreign markets. Milano Unica is an excellent window for Made-in-Italy products and ICE Agency has been supporting it since its first edition in 2005, promoting its visibility among international players through a communication plan that includes both digital and traditional media and the organization of the participation by buyers and foreign journalists,” said Michele Scannavini, President of ICE Agency.
And so, “What’s next for fashion textiles?” New styles, new habits, new interlocutors, new markets, essentially new targets calling for new proposals that Milano Unica and its exhibitors are getting prepared to offer through an ongoing and open dialogue to identify trends and meet market needs, in particular those regarding the new generations: sustainability, the digital world and fashion tech.
As to sustainability, for the first time Milano Unica dedicates an area to certified eco-sustainable products in the heart of the Trends Area, to send a clear message, which has been already anticipated through the key theme of the Trends: “Save the Planet”. “An opportunity for development in the industry”, to President Botto Poala sustainability is “a commitment to the younger generations, a necessary condition that starts from reduced consumption and energy savings and continues through the raw materials and production processes, including also some aspects of business management.”
The digital technologies and global interconnection play a key role across every aspect of production and management. It is exactly there, at the interface between fashion and the digital world, that new perspectives open up, unveiling new ways to design, produce, distribute, sell and operate on the market, to understand emerging needs and seize new opportunities. The digital world represents an important potential development for Made-in-Italy textiles and its ability to face the future by leveraging on the key pillars of training, research and innovation.
For the youth contingent, a strategic asset for the future of the industry, Milano Unica launches the second edition of the Back to School project, with the participation of Alessandro Sartori, Ermenegildo Zegna’s artistic director: an educational challenge, a moment of exchange with all those young designers who have not yet had a chance to express their talent, to convey elegance and style, to inform about the importance of the raw materials and establish a bridge between the present and the future by providing not only the dream of a prominent brand, but a true cultural dimension. In a nutshell: “For the first time, as a world exclusive in a trade show context, Milano Unica has dedicated an area - Eyes on Me – to young professionals who have completed their studies, where they can meet companies looking for young talents. The project has been developed in collaboration with the Lombardy Region and the Piattaforma Sistema Formativo Moda” concluded Massimo Mosiello, General Director of Milano Unica.
Milano Unica’s co-founder and Past President Silvio Albini, who passed away unexpectedly, leaving a huge void in the textile industry, would have been very proud of these developments and results, as he was a dedicated expert in the field and a farsighted strategist. A great company leader and great President, Milano Unica commemorated him and thanked him with an emotional tribute.
Milano Unica thanks the Italian Ministry for Economic Development, the Italian Trade Promotion ICE Agency, the Municipality of Milan, Sistema Moda Italia and Banca Sella for their invaluable and unfailing contribution to the growth and consolidation of the Trade Show for high end textiles and accessories, each through its channels of competence in the public and private sectors.
For additional information
Milano Unica Press Office
Susi Castellino - Tel. +39 02 6610 1105 - +39 334 6014386
Sergio Vicario (Metafora) - Tel. +39 02 45485095/6 - +39 348 9895170
