The forecasted downtrend in Italian buyers and rise in foreign buyers was confirmed: Pitti Bimbo 88 ended with a total of 6,400 buyers (of which 2,450 were foreign), and the total number of visitors reached the 10,000 mark, for results that were more or less in line with the January 2018 edition. Among the foreign markets, Spain was in first place and on the rise (+7%), as was Greece (+20%), France, the United Kingdom, and Turkey. Instead, there was a drop for Germany, Russia (-14% in the number of stores) and Ukraine (-9% buyers), where the situation of the domestic economy and the geopolitical scenario have worsened in recent months. All holding steady were China, Japan and the United States, while there were satisfying increases for other important markets like Belgium (+20%), Poland (+5%) and Saudi Arabia. Italy, instead, reconfirmed its negative trend, dropping by around 9%. At the fair were also foreign delegations invited with the support of MISE and the ICE Agency, with a focus on the Russian market, on Asia (Hong Kong, China and South Korea), the United States, and Europe (France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia), as well as a special focus on online shops.
“The results for these three days went beyond our expectations – comments the CEO of Pitti Immagine, Raffaello Napoleone – with comments gathered among the stands that refer to the great work carried out by the exhibiting companies: in the editing of the collections, the research into styles that are modern and functional in terms of the new ecological and social sensitivities, the commitment to maintaining both quality and price, and the ability to move around an international market that is interminably changing and transforming itself. These are all qualities that our sales team has managed to highlight through the careful segmentation of the fair according to typology and merchandising category, together with the revamping of the physical spaces”.

This is how Pitti Bimbo underlined the worldwide leadership of the show in the world of fashion and its increasing influence in the lifestyle of children. The segmentation of the offering is always more precise. Next to the “historic” areas of Pitti Bimbo and Sport Generation, and the Ecoethic collections, Apartment focused on research brands, #Activelab presented athletic-metropolitan styles, KidzFIZZ showcased its new brands and Fancy Room depicted lifestyles and the mini-design format, doubling the number of exhibitors and its spaces. Buyers expressed their approval for the FW 19-20 collections, which told Nordic fairy tales with black&white highlights, while a folk mountain style was proposed in alternative to the English college mood for more elegant proposals. The “pink” collections highlighted coté glam rock, while athleisure borrowed suggestions from the adult world for striking “mini-me” proposals. Finally, the luxury collections between elegance and splendour showed their most precious side.

Positive comments were made by buyers and visitors on the full calendar of events, which included the sophisticated Apartment catwalk and the creative KidzFIZZ catwalk, the fashion shows at the Fortezza of the brands Stefania and Miss DM, and the Children’s Fashion from Spain collective. There was then the “off Fortezza” fashion shows of Monnalisa at the Palazzo della Borsa Valori and of Il Gufo at the Stazione Leopolda. The program of KidsLab instead brought children to important museums located around the city. Other successes included the anniversary exhibition for the 60 years of Barbie, which chose Pitti Bimbo to celebrate and present the commemorative capsule collection realised in collaboration with Patrizia Pepe.
The next edition of Pitti Bimbo will be held from 20 to 22 June 2019.