Milano Unica, the Italian Textile Fair stays at Fieramilanocity

13 Jul '09

4 min read

The VIII edition of 'Milano Unica', the Italian Textile Fair, promoted and organized by the most prestigious 'Made in Italy' textile exhibitions, has confirmed the importance and vitality of the Italian textile industry, even in the midst of a global economic crisis. The IX edition scheduled for September 8-11, 2009, will be held at the Portello.

Among the 543 exhibitors, according to results obtained during meetings with the most important Italian and international buyers, a positive judgement has come out of this edition, both from the standpoint of contacts made during the four Fair days, and from the innovations regarding the organization and layout of the event, dedicated facilitate the clientele. This success has partially balanced the disappointment for the lack of both American and Japanese clients.

The VIII edition of “Milano Unica”, which took place in the halls of Fieramilanocity at the Portello, has confirmed the strategic choices which have focused on making the event an important commercial and marketing appointment, aimed mainly at the mid-upper level of the world textile market.

The 543 exhibitors, 430 Italian and 113 European, mainly from France, Spain, Great Britain, Germany and Portugal, interacted with 24,000 visitors (-20% less than the corresponding February 2008 edition) of which only 6,300 foreign. The absence of American and Japanese clients and above all, Spanish among Europeans, an average of 40-50%, was counterbalanced by the presence of buyers for additional days, both for large and small, Italian and European clothing manufacturers.

The VIII edition was able to count on the collaboration of the Foreign Trade Commission (ICE), which organized the participation of special delegations of Japanese, American, British and German buyers and journalists.

“Being a born optimist - commented Pier Luigi Loro Piana, new President of Milano Unica - I never really took into consideration the catastrophic predictions which were circulating prior to the opening, even after realizing the outcome of other important international fairs. However, if we analyze the data from this VIII edition and consider the context in which it has been determined, I can express moderate satisfaction with the results. We have noticed a difference in the trend regarding different sectors of the Fair, between one firm and another. All in all, the various opinions that I gathered among the exhibitors lead me to believe that our textile industry, despite difficult times, continues to be a point of reference for Italian and international clothing manufacturers and fashion houses”.

“Milano Unica – concluded Pier Luigi Loro Piana - has become an essential device of primary importance for the promotion and marketing of the Italian textile industry. Even in consideration of the positive results of this difficult edition, due mainly to the global context in which it is involved, I would like to make an appeal to the textile operators in various Italian districts to continue to work together. In this manner, the prestige of the textile sector will continue to remain high, and our appointment together will be as essential as ever, contributing to reinforce the uniqueness of our products on international markets”.

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