the MICAM ends with growing numbers and an overall feeling of satisfaction among international businesses and buyers.

This 84th edition saw the participation of 47,187 registered visitors (+5.6% over the September 2016 edition), of which 27,880 (+5%) from abroad and 19,307 Italians (+6.5%, confirming the renewed dynamism of the domestic market). In terms of international visitors, the number of buyers from Russia (+32%) and the CIS area returned to a trend of growth, while positive performances were also registered for the USA (+15%), China and Hong Kong (+7%). The most dynamic European markets, instead, were represented by France (+6.7%) and Germany (+4%).

Buyers were also satisfied with the MICAM’s formula: the overall increased quality of the show, first seen over the last few editions, was reinforced by the presence of big fashion brands. Alongside Fendi, Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci, Prada and Tod’s, the Fashion Square hosted the designer labels of Giorgio Armani, Jimmy Choo, Dolce&Gabbana, Sergio Rossi and Ermenegildo Zegna, allowing visitors to enjoy an extra special touch of pure glam that also reverberated in the luxury selection of Hall 1.

This area was also the location of this edition’s most important moments, starting with the inauguration of the Prime Minister, Paolo Gentiloni, and ending with the MICAM gala and DJ set of Bob Sinclar, together with the MICAM Awards ceremony hosted by soccer player Alessandro Del Piero and Miss Italia Alice Rachele Arlanch.

Many special contents enriched the event in the dedicated areas of the fair: in the Man Square, the barbershop set up in collaboration with Proraso and the shoe-shine stations attracted the most fashionable men; while the Style Square hosted the artistic food performance of Yujia Hu, the chef and artist who invented the “shoeshi”, that is, shoe-shaped sushi. Other special sections included the research areas of International Designers and Emerging Talents in footwear; the iKIDS Square that recreated a playground, while making children’s footwear the focal point of meetings, seminars, and business negotiations; and the MICAM Square, which hosted fashion shows and trends seminars staged by WGSN.

A complete offering, which allowed the event’s visitors to experience that special touch of Italian style and dolce vita, while also creating an atmosphere ideal to networking and business.

the MICAM also depicted the excellence of the Italian shoe through two works of art:  the first, “Similitudini” [Similes], is a photographic book with images by Giovanni Gastel, which celebrate the footwear of the best Italian footwear manufacturing realities (also on show in a special exhibition at Milan’s Spazio Borgonuovo).

There was then “Seduction of Footwear – Italian Glamour” setting, staged by Luciano Calosso and Enrica Barbano, which demonstrated the seductive power of footwear through 50 contemporary models, while also celebrating the theme of the 84th edition: seduction.

the MICAM is increasingly confirmed as the essential appointment for the footwear industry – declares Annarita Pilotti, President of Assocalzaturifici, at the end of the event – The event continues in the offices of many of the participating companies, which confirm an overall increase in contacts and number of orders booked… a long journey of renewal first set into motion at the last edition. We have achieved two important goals: from one end, for the second time, we have succeeded in bringing back some of the leading brands in Italian fashion. From the other end, we have repositioned our show dates on the trade fair calendar, in a move that sees the end of the MICAM coincide with the start of Milan Fashion Week for the very first time. However, the MICAM is also a moment for reflecting upon the dynamics of the sector, its problems and the opportunities it offers entrepreneurs, who have taken this change into stride with confidence. The real challenge, as confirmed by the Premier Paolo Gentiloni during his extraordinary inauguration, is to ‘keep local origins together through innovation, marketing, and research’. And the world of the MICAM has all the right ingredients for succeeding in the achievement of its goals.

The next edition of the MICAM will be held at FieraMilano from 11 to 14 February 2018, for the presentation of the FW 2018-19 collections.