Friday, February 21, 2020 - 12:26English

 

 Great interest shown by dealers and the foreign press in MICAM Americas, to be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from 17 to 19 August 2020

 Today, the 89th edition of MICAM, the International Footwear Show promoted by Assocalzaturifici, came to a close. The trade-fair recorded a slight drop (-5%) in the numbers of visitors who, over the four-day event, were able to peruse the wide range of products exhibited by 1205 companies (628 Italian and 577 foreign).

As Siro Badon, Chair of MICAM and Assocalzaturifici, commented: “The contraction we expected was confirmed. We saw a drop in the number of Asian buyers and a slowdown in British visitors due to transport difficulties - caused, as far as the former are concerned, by the public health emergency and, as regards the latter, by the extreme weather conditions. There was also a slight decrease in German buyers who are going through a difficult economic period. A scenario which is counterbalanced by an increase in buyers from Russia and the CSI area thanks to the support of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA). We had a number of high-profile buyers and visitors who showed real interest in the innovative products presented by our exhibitors and, in particular, in the high-quality Italian collections”.

“The Italian fashion industry works increasingly in synergy, as a ‘system’, - stresses Tommaso Cancellara CEO of MICAM-, and the fact that, in the lead-up to Fashion Week, MICAM coincides with a number of other trade fairs provides foreign buyers with increased business opportunities, enabling them to discover the very best of made-in-Italy in just ten days in Milan”.

In 2019, the footwear sector recorded an increase in both exports (+ 6.8%, amounting in value terms to a record figure of over ten billion euros) and the trade balance (+ 10.3%), against a slowdown in production (-3.1% in quantity).

Promosso da: Via Alberto Riva Villasanta, 3 I-20145 Milano Telefono +39 02 43829.1 press@themicam.com www.themicam.com One of the new-entries at this edition that proved most popular with the public was MICAM X, the area dedicated to the most innovative and technologically advanced ideas and products. Here buyers were able to enjoy a packed schedule of seminars and fashion parades bringing them up-to-date with the latest developments in the sector, including fashion trends, new materials, sustainability and the future of retail.

Social and environmental sustainability represented one of the key themes at the heart of other successful initiatives, such as The Garden, a space dedicated to respect for the environment, and the iKids Square, which hosted the Wonder Dolls. The limitededition dolls made by the artist Allison Hoffmann were sold out in the first few days of the event, with proceeds going towards projects run by Humana People to People Italia to improve primary school education in Malawi.

The world of sports and outdoor shoes was spotlighted in the Players District, a lively, dynamic area hosting exhilarating performances by freestyle entertainment professionals. The attention of visitors was also drawn to the Emerging Designers area, showcasing the creations of 12 young up-and-coming designers selected by a panel of experts, and to the area dedicated to Italian Footwear Startup, promoted by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) and the Ministry of Economic Development, in collaboration with Suitex International which selected eight companies to exhibit their products.

The announcement of the first edition of MICAM Americas, scheduled to take place from 17 to 19 August 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center was met with great interest on the part of both dealers and the foreign press. The exhibition, created in partnership with Informa Markets, takes the place of FN Platform as the biggest event dedicated to footwear in the USA and will provide the global footwear community with a new place in which to get together and do business.

MICAM will be back again at the Fiera Milano from 20 to 23 September 2020 to present the S/S 2021 collections.

Press release

MICAM

Milan 19 February 2020