The brands of Pitti Bimbo replied to the difficult economic phase by investing in research, creativity and innovation, with the presentation of 603 collections, of which 399 were from abroad, providing inspiration to buyers at the fair. Leading the ranks of the top markets presents at the show was Spain, followed by Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, Belgium, France, China, Holland, Greece, the United States, South Korea, Ukraine, Portugal and Kuwait. While the attendance of Italian visitors fell by 5-6%, foreign markets held steady, with a slight drop by a couple of percentage points: “But, as always, numbers on their own do not talk, or at least they don’t tell the whole story –  states Agostino Poletto, Pitti Immagine General Manager – For example they do not tell us that there was growth for the markets which are decisive for children’s clothing like United Kingdom, United States and Spain, whose most important top buyers came along, such as Barneys NY, Bergdorf & Goodman, Childrensalon, Childsplay, Fenwick, Galeries Lafayette, Harrods, Kurt Geiger, Le Bon Marché, Neiman Marcus, Printemps, Selfridges and Smallable. Or that the buyers for the big malls arrived from Kuwait and Qatar, regular trading hubs for the Middle East and for western Asia. Or that the best Italian and European buyers were all present”. Among the markets experiencing a slowdown were Germany and Russia, while always remaining in the classification of presences.

Ever-colourful and dynamic, the show hosted many special projects, starting from the debut of The Kids Lab, which brought together the spirits of research on the top floor of the Main Pavilion, with KidzFIZZ, #Activelab, The Nest, EcoEthic and Kid’s Evolution. There were then the fashion shows of Apartment, Children’s Fashion From Spain, Manila Grace, and kids.Modaportugal at the Fortezza and the Fairy Tale fashion show of Monnalisa at the Torrigiani Garden.

Moreover, the edition was characterised by important debuts, like those of Emporio Armani, Araia Kids, G-Star Raw, Jacon Cohen, Lotto, Pinko, Rifle Kids and Tia Cibani Kids and by the re-entry of Manila Grace, North Sails and Sundek… thus confirming the role of Pitti Bimbo as a privileged stage for launching new collections.

Last, but not least, an important role was played by the footwear collections at the event, which by now represent 30% of the selection.