There is no crisis for Italian fashion, as long as it is possible to sell abroad. In fact, in the first three months of this year, orders arriving from across the border grew by 5,5% while "domestic" ones dropped by 6,2%. A figure that clearly expresses the perception of our operators of a stagnation in clothing consumption in Italy. Even for turnover there is optimism, but only because the charm of Made in Italy still conquers international markets, and so sales grew by 8,6% between January and March while in Italy they remained just below zero .
These are the first available data elaborated by the Smi Study Center - Textile and Fashion Federation on a sample of over 120 companies operating at all stages of the supply chain and were disclosed today during the presentation of the next Pitti Uomo to be held in Florence from 19 to 22 June. An event very full of novelties, which this year got off to a somewhat slow start by companies but then exploded in the last few days, so much so that today 1.020 men's fashion brands and 70 women's collections have already joined for Pitti. explained Raffaello Napoleone, managing director of Pitti Immagine, the company that organizes the fair whose success is increasingly linked to the presence of the most important international buyers.
Going back to the sector data, the one who is suffering the most at the moment is the textile world, which in the first quarter lost ground both in Italy (-9,9%) and abroad (-4,7%). Only wool and silk weaving has remained slightly growing, while the cotton industry is in trouble. An explanation of these difficulties can be given by the fact that the whole supply chain remains very cautious and therefore, in the general uncertainty, those who manufacture tend to limit the purchases of fabrics to the strictly necessary, without daring to "stock up" for a while longer.
However, the sector continues to show signs of vitality. 2011 ended, for the textile-fashion sector, with a growth of at least 4,8%, according to the first calculations by Smi, with a little more than 52 billion in turnover and around 450 employees (the loss of employment last year amounted to about 9 workers). Exports did well: +9,4% considering both sectors, but for clothing the increase was finally double-digit: +10,1%, and the year ended with a positive balance of 6,6 billion.
Who wins among the outlet markets? At the moment, China is the one with the fastest pace: in 2011 it grew by 28,4% and together with Hong Kong (+23,6%) took third place in terms of turnover after France and Germany: 1,8 3 billion euros against just under 2,9 billion in France and XNUMX billion in Germany.
It is therefore inevitable that all eyes are focused on international markets, that there is strong expectation for the operational start-up of the new ICE, the agency for promotion abroad led by Riccardo Monti and that the Government itself is paying particular attention to events such as Pitti which over time have proved to be an extraordinary platform for the diffusion of Made in Italy abroad.
