MILAN — It took a season, but textile organization Prato Trade has decided to participate in the next edition of Unica, the Italian textile supershow, set to run from Feb. 14-17.
Launched this fall to great response, Unica brought together four of Italy’s largest textile shows under one roof. Ideabiella, Ideacomo, Shirt Avenue and ModaIn all participated in the first edition here in September. Prato Trade, the organizing body behind Florence-based textile show Prato Expo, was the only holdout.
Initially, exhibitors from Prato Expo didn’t want to move to Milan. But after a drop in show attendance this past season, members agreed it was the best solution. Prato Expo realized it not only would suffer by remaining a sole entity, but saw how the other trade shows benefited from the united format. More than 25,000 people attended the four-day Unica show.
“Prato Expo will maintain its own image and strategy of presenting products with a high content of fashion, research and innovation designed for women’s wear and casual men’s apparel, with its own separate management and trademark,” Prato Trade said in a statement.
The next edition of Unica will move from the Milan fairgrounds to the newly constructed convention center in Rho-Pero, less than 10 miles outside the city. Milan has expanded its subway line to reach the new venue.