33rd edition of Milano Unica
Exhibitor confidence rewarded by buyer attendance (+29%)
3,100 companies, of which 570 (+42%) from abroad, attended the first trade show at FieraMilano
Alessandro Barberis Canonico, President of Milano Unica:
“The physical trade show is critical for valorizing our products, which, as I will never tire of repeating, need to be experienced through all five senses.
In-person attendance also allows the direct exchange of information and opinions, which generate the inspiration that leads to new projects.”
Milan, 7 July 2021 – At Fieramilano Rho, the curtain has come down on the 33rd edition of Milano Unica, where 270 exhibitor companies, 224 Italian and 46 foreign, presented their A/W 2022/2023 collections of high end textiles and accessories for men, women and children.
3,100 (+29%) companies visited the first physical trade show held in Milan following the second lockdown. It was particularly encouraging to see the participation of 570 foreign companies (+42%). One change worthy of note, compared to the September 2020 edition, was the great increases in companies from Belgium and Austria (+200%), Spain (+164%), Germany (+107%), the Netherlands (+90%) and the USA (+56%) and France (+53%)
“We have not yet returned to normality, but this is certainly an encouraging signal. The confidence shown by the exhibitors, despite the international climate of uncertainty, was rewarded by the buyers attending the show. I am positive that this outcome will help to re-create the conditions for a recovery that will also involve the upstream segment of the fashion production chain, which is still being hit hard, despite the downstream comeback,” commented Alessandro Barberis Canonico, President of Milano Unica.
The speakers at the inauguration ceremony of Tuesday, 6 July were; Claudia D’Arpizio, Partner at Bain & Company, who presented a detailed analysis of the fashion sector following the Covid-19 pandemic, Carlo Capasa, President of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, Marino Vago, President of Sistema Moda Italia, Renzo Rosso, Confindustria Delegate for Excellence, Beauty and Taste of Italian Brands and the Hon. Giancarlo Giorgetti, the Italian Minister of Economic Development.
Introduced by the President of Milano Unica, they engaged in a lively debate on the future of the segment, and more in general of the entire fashion system. All the speakers underscored the opportunities and criticalities determined by the post-pandemic scenario, which could result in a return to normality, but not to the way things were before. Sustainability, digitalization and increased flexibility are the main challenges, to be faced with greater collaboration and strategies shared by the companies in the textile-apparel-fashion production chain, and also keeping in mind the necessity of redistributing costs more equably between the upstream and downstream segments.
Alessandro Barberis Canonico, grateful to all the textile and accessories excellences that consolidated and even expanded their offering, giving this edition authoritativeness and prestige, noted that, “The trade show is the place where projects are born, developing into a dialogue between companies and their customers. This doesn’t mean we should underestimate the challenges of digitalization. Now more than ever, physical and virtual space combine in shaping the segment’s future, in which we must invest with confidence, leveraging on technology to provide a spark of innovation to the creative impulse.”
Milano Unica, for its part, has responded to these new demands by further developing its online marketplace, e-MilanoUnica Connect, which will allow companies to maintain their international relations and continue to do business, like a trade show beyond the physical trade show. This thanks also to the strengthening of the systemic partnership with Pitti Immagine and the invaluable support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ITA Agency.
"The numbers of this 33rd edition of Milano Unica show an encouraging recovery, both in terms of exhibitors and visitors, and also in terms of participation from outside Italy, under the circumstances. It is the ninth international trade fair held in Italy since the end of the restrictive measures in mid-June and it is an important sign that the vaccination campaign is making progress, as well as the courage of the organizers and the support of the national system. In particular, the fashion production chain is entering an important phase of recovery, after being one of the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic’s global impact,” said Carlo Ferro, President of ITA Agency, during his visit to the trade show today.
The synergy between Milano Unica and Filo continued during this edition. In the Tendenze area, Filo participated with an offering of sustainable yarns.
“The effort expended to ensure that this complex edition would be held in complete safety, thanks also to the active collaboration of Fiera Milano, was rewarded by the general satisfaction expressed to me directly by numerous exhibitors and a number of buyers. Select contacts and promising negotiations are the outcome of a bold bet, given the uncertainty at the global level, a bet placed with confidence and farsightedness by the Executive Committee and the exhibitors themselves. A success underscored by the specialized media and the generalist press, to whom we are grateful for the coverage. Special thanks are due to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ITA Agency, who renewed their traditional financial sponsorship and their expert promotional support, ensuring the event’s success,” declared Massimo Mosiello, General Director of Milano Unica.
Milano Unica extends heartfelt thanks to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, ITA Agency, Sistema Moda Italia and the Municipality of Milan, which reconfirmed its sponsorship. It also expresses its gratitude to Banca Sella for over a decade of collaboration and to Lauretana for its sponsorship.
For additional information:
Milano Unica Press Office Tel. +39 02 6610 1105
Alessandra Ardenzi (Mob. +39 335 677 46 20)
Daniela Scardi (Mob. +39 3661964979)
Sergio Vicario - Metafora (Mob. +39 348 9895170)
