Representative in the world of footwear since 2003 and member of Assoprov, Fabio Capitelli who is guided by a passion for shoes, learned his trade from his father, who was active since the early Eighties in the sector. We met up with him at Expo Riva Schuh, where he presented the SS22 collections of the Ballerina and Alba Moda brands.

What aspects of the brands are you in charge of and how did you present them at Expo Riva Schuh?

“They are two brands with a complementary proposal. Ballerina has a more classic style and is based, like the name says, on flats and moccasins for the summer and on a line of boots, ankle boots, and once again moccasins for the winter: a Made in Italy proposal, with models realised using soft leathers, Ballerina focuses not only on style, but also on comfort. Alba Moda is instead a younger and sportier brand, and for SS22, we presented a vast range of fashion sandals for women along with men’s shoes like moccasins and classic and fashion driver shoes. Made not only in Italy, but also in Tunisia and Albania, they are shoes with a fashion content that stands out. Both the proposals of Ballerina and Alba Moda stand out for their attention to style, care with details, choice of quality materials, and attention to comfort”.

What do you do in your job?

“I offer consultancy in the development of collections, where the experience I have matured on markets can provide effective support to manufacturers, all the way up to sales. The most important part of my activity is obviously developing relationships with customers, with whom I establish a direct contact, founded on the ability to listen and trust. These are essential elements in better understanding their needs and effectively replying to their wishes. Also the promotion of the collections at the fair, where we meet up with customers and also make new contacts, is a fundamental part of my activity, with the aim of receiving feedback on both the collections and market trends”.

With what kind of customers do you work?

“I work above all with retail chains and some e-commerce channels, mainly based in the markets of France and Belgium”.

How did the pandemic change your way of working?

“Despite the difficulties and restrictions on travel, I tried to visit customers to maintain as direct of a relationship as possible. For markets farther away, like Russia and Japan, this was not possible, so I looked to the digital channel, adopting it also during the periods of lockdown with the rest of my clientele: a tool that will also provide support in the future, but which in any case cannot replace direct contact. For our customers, in fact, in-person interaction and being able to see and touch the products remains essential”.

Is this the reason why you decided to participate in the July edition of Expo Riva Schuh?

“We needed to be there so our clientele could see we were there with the desire to continue to work just like we did before the pandemic. Shoes seen in a photograph are all the same: at the fair, instead, our customers were able to see and touch with their hands the quality of our proposals: an irreplaceable experience. And participating was the smart thing to do: even if the expectations were not the best, not only did we meet up with our customers, but we also made interesting new contacts in particular with countries like Poland. A trend that confirms the growing interest of Eastern European countries in our brands”.