The international shoe fair “theMicam” presented this week its upcoming 82nd edition, running from Sept. 3 to 6 at the Rho Fiera Milano fairgrounds, a 30-minute subway ride from central Milan.
More than 1,400 companies will attend the event, which will present spring ’17 collections and market forecasts for one of the most prominent industries in Italy.
The Italian footwear industry, which directly employs more than 77,000 people in almost 5,000 companies, started the year in a cautious and stable atmosphere, not showing the long-awaited upswing yet.
Annarita Pilotti, president of Assocalzaturifici, the Italian footwear manufacturers’ association, noted how “in the first quarter of 2016, exports held their ground, growing 2.2 percent by value, though this increase was not matched by growth in volume, which dropped 2 percent.” She also underscored that the U.S. are one of the few markets that showed growth, though remaining an exclusive territory destined just for a selected number of enterprises.
“TheMICAM offers the right occasion to re-launch Italian footwear, [it’s] an essential event for everyone working in the industry offering an opportunity to meet buyers from all over the world and establish or consolidate business relations and finalize their international marketing strategies,” she concluded.
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This edition’s wide range of attendees will be enriched by the presence of some iconic Italian brands, including Missoni, Pollini, F.lli Borgioli and Gattinoni.
The exhibition will feature different areas, including a “Luxury” space flanked by a product design-oriented “International Designers Area”; a “Contemporary” corner focusing on contemporary style; the “iKids” space showcasing children’s footwear alongside the “iKIDS Square”; the “Active” and “Cosmopolitan” areas conceived for leisure footwear.
A short film realized by Consorzio Vero Cuoio Italiano, the Italian leather enterprises association, will also debut during the fair. Named “Niente per caso,” or “Nothing by chance,” and starring Italian actress Caterina Murino, the short movie is a tribute to the Italian fashion system and pays homage to over half a century of stylistic heritage, with a specific focus on footwear.
