MILAN — The Mipel leather goods and accessories show reinforced hopes of a moderate industry recovery by the end of 2010.
Organizers were buoyed by a 5.7 percent increase in attendance to 16,183 buyers, as well as a weakening euro against the dollar and the yen. About half the visitors to the four-day event here, which ended on March 6, were from outside Italy. In addition, organizers noted a return of Russian visitors.
“The show was an absolute confirmation that our expectations [for improved business] will be met,” said Giorgio Cannara, president of Mipel and Aimpes, the industry association that organizes Mipel.
Italy’s leather goods industry performed poorly last year. Production fell 19 percent to 3.15 billion euros, or $4.37 billion at average exchange, compared with the previous year, according to Aimpes. The group’s data showed that by November 2009 the industry’s export sales had declined 20 percent to 2.46 billion euros, or $3.42 billion, compared with the year before. In particular, exports to Russia, the U.S. and Japan plummeted by 46.2 percent, 34.8 percent and 12.9 percent in value, respectively.
Related Articles
Despite indications of an uptick, fall trends at Mipel were influenced by fallout from the economic downturn. In general, exhibitors featured a return to craftsmanship and simple accessories such as lightweight bags with masculine lines. Shoulder bags, for example, had decorative top stitching. Bags were mainly crafted from buckskin, buffalo and calf leather.
You May Also Like
Self frame clutches with fringe, fur and enamel, as well as leather and fabric backpacks were the season’s must-have pieces. Metal zippers also were popular. The color chart ranged from classic shades of beige and brown to more bohemian colors, including crimson, oxidized green, ruby red and rust. On a brighter note, there were pinks, purple, Ravenna blue, scarlet and yellow.
In an effort to boost consumer optimism, handbag and accessories firm Braccialini introduced a line called “Little Themes,” which consists of fun and colorful pieces meant to be carried year-round. The motifs included mini-size prints of the firm’s best-selling themes, like the little car and the owl, presented on waterproof fabric bags as if pencil drawn on a child’s notebook. The bags start at 139 euros, or $189, at retail.
The firm updated its recently launched Amazon Life line, which uses recycled materials, including rubber from the Amazon. Flower embroideries were added to the military prints and the summer line was adapted to a winter theme by substituting woven straws with wool straws. Amazon Life was the first line Braccialini showcased in its U.S. showroom, which opened in December in Manhattan’s Union Square. “Creating new lines and opening to foreign markets is the key to beat the crisis,” said the company’s sales manager, Lorenzo Braccialini.
In line with the renewal trend, AG Limited Editions featured a collection by designer Alessandra Gucci called Chicky Chic, characterized by the use of a “cocco net,” or a mesh made of leftover crocodile pieces that gave her bags an alligator feel at more contained prices. They will retail for 1,000 euros to 1,500 euros, or $1,360 to $2,041. The collection included nine bags in three styles that Gucci named after her favorite cities: New York, Paris and St. Moritz.
First-time Mipel vendor Zanellato’s best-selling piece was Filomena, a large taupe leather bag with soft lines and a fringed metal zipper. Among the U.S. department stores that expressed interest in the line were Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s, as well as Japan’s Takashimaya and Korea’s Galaxy.
The next edition of Mipel will run from Sept. 19 to 22, which for the first time will be on a Sunday to Wednesday schedule rather than the traditional Wednesday to Saturday. The change is intended to Italy’s small buyers, whose only free day to attend events is Sunday, to visit Mipel and help boost attendance.