The 23rd edition of Milano Unica, the Italian Textiles and Accessories Trade Show, which was held for the first time at Fieramilano Rho from September 6 to September 8, was visited by over 6,000 fashion companies that came to see the FW 2017/2018 collections. In terms of figures, this result is perfectly in line with the figures registered in the past September edition even if, commercially, its specific weight is more significant given the new and rigorous selection criteria adopted, characterizing this ‘New beginning’.
The presence of important companies, coming mostly from the US, China, the United Kingdom, Japan, Russian Federation and Korea, is worth noting.
The 23rd edition of Milano Unica, whose organization was made possible thanks to the support provided by the Italian Ministry for the Economic Development and by ICE Agency, its operational arm, included 382 exhibitors, 79 of which were European, and also other top-notch companies that participated in the Observatories: Japan 39 and Korea 21, for a total of 442 exhibitors, 139 of which foreign.
There is now clear evidence that teaming up is no longer just an abstract notion, but has been translated into practice. As matter of fact, the opening of Milano Unica coincided with the last day of The Micam and Mipel, while Origin Passion and Beliefs, the exhibition promoted by Fiera Vicenza and dedicated to suppliers of quality Made-in-Italy artisanal semi-finished products, ran in parallel and within the grounds of Milano Unica.
The following notables participated in the inauguration ceremony and were introduced by Ercole Botto Poala, President of Milano Unica: the Deputy Secretary for Economic Development, Ivan Scalfarotto; the Councilor for Fashion at the Municipality of Milan, Cristina Tajani; the President of Sistema Moda Italia, Claudio Marenzi; the Vice-President of Confindustria, Giovanni Brugnoli and the President of Fiera Vicenza, Matteo Marzotto.
“The new, more rigorous, invitation-based selection criteria, that put a stronger focus on buyers than on other types of visitors, invalidate any direct comparisons with the past September 2015 edition. However, the general opinion that I heard most frequently expressed is that the search for quality led to improved results also in terms of the number of contacts established. Our concerns in relation to the move from the Portello fair grounds to the Fieramilano Rho fairgrounds vanished after the registration of the overall satisfactory results of the “New beginning” of Milano Unica,” commented President Ercole Botto Poala
“The objective of making Milano Unica an important point of reference for cultural initiatives, very much representing the true essence of Made-in-Italy production, was widely appreciated by both visitors and exhibitors. The exclusive presentation of the moodboards developed by prominent designers allowed – for instance – to more efficiently emphasize - also through the communication of emotions – how the success of fashion strongly depends on quality, creativity and innovation of fabrics and accessories. I would also like to recall the wonderful “On Air” event, dedicated to the tastes and cultural traditions of the Puglia region. This initiative registered an incredible success. For this, we should thank our partners from the same region, who managed to re-create the atmosphere of one of the geographic areas that contribute to developing the exclusive identity of Made-in-Italy production,” continued the President.
“In my opening speech I insisted on the fact that we, as entrepreneurs, need to take on the necessary risks to face a rapidly changing world. We are forced to follow new paths and change in innovative ways, but we must do this all together, as one, certain in the knowledge that only if we are united, leaving parochialism aside, will we have a chance to exploit the opportunities that the transformations that we are currently seeing in the market will bring about. And I am also convinced that this spirit will accompany us at the end of the month, when we set the dates for the next appointments,” added Ercole Botto Poala.
Massimo Mosiello, General Manager of Milano Unica since the very first edition of this textiles and accessories trade show, said: “We will take stock of the situation with an in-depth analysis, considering also all the organizational aspects, but, given the broad consensus and appreciation that we have received, I can say that we have successfully passed the test relative to the move to the new Fieramilano Rho fairgrounds, along with the revision of our proposal. The numerous and complex organizational innovations, including the layout and the formula, were realized thanks to the collaboration of the Milano Unica structure, the flexibility and prompt response received from all suppliers and, in particular, the collaboration with Fiera Milano and Nolostand.”
“I would like to underscore that the overall result of the exhibition is even more significant if we consider that the result of Prima MU in July has not taken anything away from this edition. We have managed to provide adequate answers also on the organizational level, based on the needs of our worlds of reference and, I am pretty sure, we will manage to do it even better in the coming editions,” concluded Massimo Mosiello
Milano Unica specifically thanks the Italian Ministry for the Economic Development, ICE Agency and Sistema Moda Italia; Banca Sella, a sponsor that has supported the exhibition for years, and, last but not least, The Woolmark Company.
