2019 represented a year with ups and downs for the Made in Italy footwear: production decreased (-2.9% in quantity compared to the same period of the previous year) and so did household purchases (-3.3% in quantity) against a positive export performance (+ 6.7% in value) according to the economic data relating to the first nine months of last year, developed for Assocalzaturifici by the Centro Studi Confindustria Moda.
Siro Badon, President of Assocalzaturifici: “The success of our footwear abroad, which confirms the appeal of Made in Italy on international markets, is reduced by the contraction in volumes which translates into a decrease in production and employees. In this moment when internal consumption is suffering we should bring out national pride and support our companies by buying more Italian shoes”.
Speaking to his footwear colleagues, Badon renewed the invitation to ever more focus on young people and innovation, as will happen in February during the next Micam edition with the debut of the MICAM “X” format. An initiative that will bring together the most innovative and technological proposals, presenting to the operators expected from all over the world the new market trends declined around three key themes: materials, retail and sustainability. In a symbolic and decisive moment for the world and for the footwear industry, MICAM “X” will become the stage for the most innovative and technological proposals and will characterise the heart of the fair, in the area of fashion shows and seminars in Hall 1.
A renewal that also passes through the new promotional image of the fair which, after passing through Dante’s songs, focuses on the world of fairy tales (#micamtales), a collection of fairy tales to wear to celebrate creativity, dreams and genius of the footwear world that animates MICAM.
Instead, the area dedicated to sports and outdoor footwear is proposed again after last season’s success. The PLAYERS DISTRICT proves to be a space in line with market trends, which see the segment of sports shoes growing: in the first nine months of 2019 Italian families spent, in fact, 3.4% more for this type of footwear compared to the same period of 2018, for a total of approximately 750 million Euro in value and 15.4 million pairs sold, + 3.0% (source: Confindustria Moda on Sita Ricerca data). A further consolidation, therefore, after the increases of more than 5%, both in expenditure and quantity, registered on a final balance basis in 2018. Together with sneakers, the sports sector is the only one to highlight an increase in sales on the domestic market, for a long time in strong stagnation. Istat data for Italian sports shoe exports are also characterised by positive dynamics: in fact, in the first 9 months of 2019, Italy exported 11.8 million pairs for 645.4 million euro (
with tendential increases of respectively 9.5% and 6.7%).
The PLAYER DISTRICT was born as an area that intends to give further value to the segment, allowing producers and operators to be able to count on a specific business space.
The layout of the area will once again feature a central space, The Arena, dedicated to the discovery ‘in action’ of the many souls of sports footwear through dynamic performances and events that are perfectly connected to the spirit of the sector.
At the beginning there was also talk of giving space to young people. That’s why the EMERGING DESIGNERS area is back in the news, a unique opportunity offered to young creatives to present their style in a prestigious setting such as that of the event, confirming the desire for the sector’s innovation. The creative protagonists of the Emerging Designers space will be 12, selected by a jury of professionals, experts in the fashion and communication sector, chaired by the stylist Ernesto Esposito. The designer’s style proposal ranges from pop citations to research around the most classic forms, from metropolitan atmospheres told by electronic music, to the rediscovery of natural or waste materials for new and surprising fashion ideas. There is no shortage of truly unusual experiments and original reinterpretations of models that have made the history of footwear.