It is positive thinking that seems to dominate the eighty-second edition of Pitti Uomo which opened today in Florence. Despite the very severe crisis that still looms, the will of fashion entrepreneurs to go further is evident: it would be enough just to observe the careful choice of new, refined and high quality products. “The strong points of this year – explains Raffaello Napoleone, managing director of Pitti Immagine, the company that organizes the Florentine event – are the internationalization and the research work that has been done in particular on contemporary formal clothing. Of course – he admits – we expect a drop in the presence of Italian buyers, but from abroad we expect a good performance, despite the difficulties in Spain and Greece”.
Support for positive thinking came from Marco Fortis, economist, vice president of the Edison Foundation.
“Italy – he said during the inauguration ceremony – is the most competitive country in the world in the textile/fashion sector, ie clothing, leather, leather goods and footwear, textiles. And it is second in non-electronic mechanics.” This is demonstrated by the data of the Trade performance Index Unctad/Wto. Not only. “The added value of fashion in the broadest sense, therefore including jewellery, cosmetics and optical instruments, in 2008 came close to 18 billion euros, more than cars in France and Spain combined. While leather-leather-footwear exports in 2011 reached an all-time record (just under 16 billion euros), as did cosmetics (over 2,5 billion) and eyewear (almost 2,5 billion), all at their highest for at least 20 years. The critical point, therefore, is not the country, but the country system, which is not competitive at all” concluded Fortis.
This is the sore point that even the president of Sistema Moda Italia (Smi), Michele Tronconi, underlined with particular vehemence: “Politics has not yet understood the importance of a manufacturing sector like ours, which should not be abandoned. In the last four years 60 people have lost their jobs in the textile/clothing sector and nobody said anything! There is too much hypocrisy among politicians, it is easy to say: "export more", therefore produce more, when in order to produce more it is necessary to produce in Italy. We cannot have energy costs 30% higher than in other countries, as well as a thousand snares and snares. We are careful not to pass from slimming cures to anorexia, we are blocked by a demand crisis that needs to be stimulated. And it is a mistake not to believe more in the industry”.
Yes, because "it is precisely from this sector that we can think of growing again" underlined the mayor of Florence, Matteo Renzi: "we look to the future not with the logic of resignation, of fear, but of courage". Also because the numbers are encouraging. In 2011 men's fashion, according to data from the Smi study centre, achieved a turnover of 8,44 billion, up by 4,2%, with exports of 4,9 billion (+10,9%) and a commercial positive for 981 million. In the first four months of this year, France (the first market for our exports) dropped by 2,6% but on the other hand the United States grew by 5,5%. As for order collection, Smi estimates an increase of 5,5% in the first quarter for the foreign market and a decrease of 4,7% for the domestic one.
Uncertainties therefore remain, without a doubt, but there are signs that Italy can find unexpected resources. One for all: Carlo Rivetti, president of Stone Island, in presenting the grandiose installation created at the Stazione Leopolda to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the sportswear brand from Rivarolo (Modena), said: "I want to remind you that 75% of the of our country are unusable following the earthquake but all our employees are working under the awnings. If all of Italy were like the Emilians have shown themselves to be, we'd be on horseback”.
