The productions return to their homeland, but Italy risks losing the fashion manufacturing sector. The spread of the Coronavirus and the following stop of production in China had given the opportunity to bring some processes of the textile chain back to Italy, so as to increase employment and revive some cities. The most reactive districts would have benefited, such as Tuscany, Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna, but above all the companies of the South. The fear, however, is that Italy is not able to exploit the situation, going to benefit more foreign competitors strategic, such as Russia and Turkey.
To explain it is Claudio Marenzi, president of Confindustria Moda, to the MF newspaper “We are talking about reshoring, with peaks especially after the Chinese emergency, not only for a factor linked to the availability of production sourcing but also to improve delivery times. However, the reflection must take into account that some stages of production in Italy no longer exist, as they have been decentralized over the years, and therefore we would not even have the skills in the short term - he concludes - This should make us think about the wild relocation of the past".
But the biggest problem, according to Marenzi, is the spread of alarmism by the media and institutions, which only aggravate an already worrying situation. The tones and measures taken damage the image of our country, losing a lot of ground on international markets. So much so that the growing cancellations of orders from abroad are threatening the solidity of Italian companies and since most of these are small or medium-sized, their survival hangs by a thread.
In the meantime, the Government is studying solutions to support the companies most affected by the effects of Covid-19. Given the growing difficulties that companies in the Italian fashion system are facing, their requests to the Government are increasing tax relief or from the banking world, but also measures to support employment and correct information. Because in this delicate phase it is necessary to instill trust not only in citizens but also in tourists, another of the sectors most affected by the health emergency and closely linked to textile manufacturing.
It is no longer a question of a disease, but of a virus that is infecting the entire economic fabric, leading to the collapse of the greatest strengths of our country. If initially the slowdown in production in China could have been an opportunity to encourage reshoring to Italy, the Coronavirus scuppered all plans, putting some Made in Italy supply chains seriously at risk.
