The 80th edition of theMicam came to an end on Friday (Sept. 1-4) with 1,443 exhibitors presenting their Spring ’16 collections. The Milan-based footwear event hosted over 30,800 visitors, with more than half from abroad, however, the show felt the effects of domestic and international woes.
The show reported a “considerable drop” in the number of buyers from Russia due to the collapse of the rouble and new sanctions, as well as from Japan and Italy. The amount of visitors from the Far East, Middle East, United States and Europe remained consistent with the previous year’s attendance.
TheMicam Chairwoman Annarita Pilotti praised companies that continue to invest in creativity and innovation during a difficult economic time. She called for institutions to dedicate more attention to Italy’s footwear industry in relation to issues such as sanctions in Russia, tax breaks for investment, recognition of ‘Made in’ labeling and easier access to European funding. “Our enterprises must be able to compete with their European competitors on even ground,” she said in a statement.
Pilotti revealed plans for a “renewal project” focused on Italian-made footwear. The project, which is expected to launch in late 2016, will coincide with a return to later September schedule. The 2016 dates will be Feb. 14-16 and Sept. 3-6, from Saturday to Tuesday. Pilotti added, “We hope that the return to September dates and the presence of a Sunday will boost the number of Italian buyers, which was lower this year.”