Pilotti: “Synergy is the winning card to revive the Italian footwear industry”
International footwear show theMICAM closes the doors of its 83rd event today at Fiera Milano (Rho) with certified attendance of 44,610 (up 5% on the edition of February 2016), comprising 26,505 international (up 8%) and 18,105 Italian visitors (up 1.2%). 1,405 exhibitors attended, 795 of which were Italian and 610 international, for an industry boasting a turnover of 14 billion euros.
On the international front, the number of visitors from Russia grew by 18% and from Ukraine, by 20%. Increasingly drawn by high quality Italian goods, South Korea was the best performer, with numbers up by 53%. Meanwhile for Europe, numbers from Germany increased by 10% but decreased by 7% for France.
The sensational new development of this edition was marked by the presence of Fendi, Ferragamo, Gucci, Prada and Tod’s, which chose to attend the event for the first time ever to do their bit to support Italian manufacturing and the young designers at the show, in a new, appealing exhibition layout.
“We’re closing an historic edition of theMICAM. Now more than ever before, theMICAM confirms its status as the global footwear more glamorous and functional, but also by creating deep-rooted synergy with fashion players, which has enabled us to take a crucial step towards a new era.
The minister of Economic Development Carlo Calenda, who I’d like to thank for his attendance at the fair, underlined that it has been “a pivotal year.” I am also grateful to businessman Diego Della Valle, who immediately acted on my request and, in cooperation with Carlo Capasa, President of the Camera Nazionale della Moda, liaised with his prestigious colleagues at international labels to ensure their presence at this special edition.”
theMICAM remains the world’s unrivalled leader in a truly complex and difficult global scenario that requires all market players to rethink their positioning strategies. But support from the institutions remains vital if we want to pursue our role as leader and ensure that global production continues to revolve around Italian manufacturing.
“Italian footwear companies employ 77 thousand people, but are still experiencing some difficulty and deserve more attention from the government,” Pilotti concluded. “We are therefore calling for Italian manufacturing to be added to the expenditure items of the budget laws and for it to be recognised as a strategic asset of the Country’s economy, through the establishment of a major industrial policy.”
theMICAM will continue on its Dantean path next Autumn with the 84th edition of the international footwear show, with the theme “Seduction”. The event is scheduled to take place from 17 to 20 September 2017 back at Fiera Milano (Rho). It will be the first time the event has been held at the same time as the Fashion Week.
Press release
Assocalzaturifici
theMICAM
Milan, 15 February 2017