After the successful events of MICAM 92, MIPEL, and The One Milano Special featured by MICAM on September 19-21, 2021 at the Fiera Milano Rho, Milan, Italy, the footwear industry is finally back in action.

MICAM Milano is the world's premier international footwear trade show. While MIPEL is the leather goods and accessories event. Then The One Milano Special featured by MICAM is the Haut-à-Porter Exhibition. All three events were concluded in three days, with all of them attracting a huge number of trade visitors and dealers.

The synergy triggered last year under the project Stronger Together that brought all the fashion-accessory fairs together for the very first time paid dividends by helping companies to keep focussed. This year, too, trade visitors demonstrated their enthusiastic support for the format by flocking to all three events.

A total of 22,274 trade visitors were able to explore the products offered by the 735 companies exhibiting at the three events. There was a clear desire to experiment among the stands, with many companies focusing on new designs, new materials, and new shapes and colors, demonstrating how essential the event is in presenting the market with novel content and products.

MICAM 92 hosted 652 exhibitors, including Liu Jo, Primigi, Igi & co, and Valleverde, as well as 390 exhibitors from Italy and 262 from outside the country. Renowned names like Furla and Luciano Padovan were among the new submissions.

The #restarttogether network isn't just about the three events that are coming to a close. In fact, HOMI, the Fashion&Jewelry Exhibition, which ended with 12,275 visitors, will be followed by LINEAPELLE, the most important global event in its field, which begins tomorrow, said Luca Palermo, CEO of Fiera Milano.

“These events highlight the need of establishing a synergetic system as well as the value of trade fairs in reviving such an important industry for the country,” he added.

The return of a live event

The return to a ‘live’ format was met with enthusiasm by the manufacturers and buyers. They were delighted to be able to meet in person again and make it easier to finalize deals after experiencing firsthand the quality of the products on show.

“This edition marks our ‘renaissance’. The real protagonists were the exhibitors who once again believed in the event. Seeing in their eyes the light and the enthusiasm of those who are finally beginning to put a difficult situation behind them is priceless,” said Siro Badon, Chair of Assocalzaturifici and MICAM Milano.

MICAM underlines its strategic position as a base for relaunching businesses and enhancing its presence and competitiveness in international markets for the whole sector. Following the challenges of 2020, the footwear industry is expected to improve in 2021.

A positive trend is also confirmed by the numbers, which show that in the first half of the year, both industrial production (+ 13 percent) and turnover (+ 22 percent), as well as spending by Italian families (+ 17.4 percent) and exports (+ 31.5 percent in value) all increased after the crisis in 2020.

Franco Gabrielli, President of MIPEL said that the synergy they created a year ago has proved to be a first-rate instrument. It is still capable of meeting the needs of those operating in the industry.

“We are satisfied and proud. The results of this Mipel120 edition are even higher than expected. A special thanks go to our brave manufacturers who have met the challenge by returning ‘in person’ and contributing to the general climate of "renaissance" pervading Italy at the moment,” he added.

They chose the “Mipel Play” for this year’s concept. It’s to celebrate all of Italy’s Olympic athletes who have inspired them so much this summer. They hoped the same energy could also drive Mipel LAB’s first edition, which begins shortly after with Lineapelle and will serve as inspiration for various activities that await in the months ahead.

Norberto Albertalli, president of The One Milano, said that these events were a success for everyone.

“One that is indicative of the strength of the accessory sector and is presented in the form of a solid format capable of attracting buyers from Italy and abroad. We are happy to be part of this initiative that we want to develop in the future as well, to confirm a project created to offer companies a business platform to believe in and use with confidence,” he closed.