The Vice Minister of the Economic Development Carlo Calenda [2], together with the heads of the Italian Trade Agency ICE [3], with a delegation from Confindustria and the heads of the primary sector Associations, will give a detailed presentation of the ‘Special Fashion Plan’ chosen by the Minister of Economic Development to promote Italian exports to the U.S. market. The U.S. is the largest consumer market in the world and has a significant youth culture. Of a population of 315 million, 34% are under 25.

A budget of 20 million Euros has been set aside for the Plan’s implementation in 2015-2016, which will consist of four separate segments; agreements with the most prestigious fashion retailers, promotional fairs and events, incoming services in Italy, and media promotional campaigns.


Italian fashion goods exports – consisting of textiles, clothing, footwear, hides and leather goods, cosmetics, eyewear, and jewelry) - to the US have increased exponentially in recent years.  In 2014, Italian exports to the U.S. totalled 5.2 billion Euro, representing an 11% uptick compared to the previous year.


Italy is the third largest exporter to the U.S., after China and Vietnam, and its 4.5% market share growth since 2013 demonstrates a growing bias toward quality Italian goods. Due to increased spending power due to the dollar's advance on the euro, the first four months of 2015 saw even more positive data with a 23.3% growth rate in market share compared to the same period in 2014.

 

Delving into the details yields more good news; menswear exports have increased by 7.36% from 2013 until the present day, an exchange value of 477 million Euros. Textiles have registered a 15% increase compared to 2013, with an exchange value of 318.5 million Euros. The hides market has witnessed a 13% increase compared to 2013, with an exchange value of 156 million Euros, and an extraordinary 40% jump in the first four months of 2015 relative to the same period in 2014.

 

From 19 to 22 July 2015, New York, ever the Fashion capital of America, will host a linked series of events and fairs highlighting Italy’s central presence in the fashion industry. Firstly, ‘Milano Unica New York [4]’, the celebrated Italian textiles and accessories fair, will debut on American soil. After winning over Shanghai, where Milano Unica has successfully presented the best of ‘Made In Italy’ for 8 years, the first edition of Milano Unica New York will exhibit 85 Italian companies, and will be held at the Javitz Center from July 20-22, 2015.

 

‘The Cloak of the Dragon’, a ballet produced by Lineapelle [5], Milano Unica and ICE, will be held at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on July 20, 2015. La Scala's Prima Ballerina, Sabrina Brazzo [6], will lead a prestigious corps du ballet. An audience of 700 is expected. The costumes were created with the leathers and textiles furnished by Italy's finest producers.

 

The first American edition of Lineapple New York, the Italian leathers fair, will be presenting 50 Italian companies at the Metropolitan Pavilion from July 21-22, 2015. The final event scheduled is the Padiglione Italiano at the MRKet Show; dedicated to menswear, it will present 56 Italian companies at the Javits Center from July 19-21, 2015.

 

According to the Italian Trade Agency, these New York events offer a great opportunity to present, for the first time in the U.S., the ‘Segno Distintivo’ of the goods produced in the Italian fashion sector and the ‘Extraordinary Italian Style’ that will highlight the ‘Sistema Italia’ at future Italian shows. This unique approach to the promotion of Italian exports is also sponsored and produced by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development.

 

In addition to the aforementioned activities, the Italian Government, along with Confindustria and Industry associations, is promoting the following series of events in the United States: Cosmoprof North America, Las Vegas (cosmetics); FN Platform, Las Vegas (footwear); JFK Las Vegas (jewelry); Fashion Coterie, New York (womenswear); Vision Expo, New York (eyewear).