MILAN — After an impressive debut last September, the Milano Unica trade show made an even stronger showing in its second edition.
The addition of Prato Expo to the Unica lineup helped push attendance at the show, which ended its four-day run Friday at Milan’s new fairgrounds in the suburb of Rho-Pero, to more than 30,000 visitors. The show’s organizers said they also experienced a rise in the number of exhibitors, with 713 mills attending, 25 percent of which were from European countries outside of Italy.
“We’ve had another rise in exhibitor numbers, which we expect to rise by 25 percent again in September,” said Max Dubini, president of Moda In. “It’s important for Moda In to continue to grow, and with that we want to maintain all of our exhibitors, but welcome others from the European Union.”
Dubini said “at a certain point, our exhibitors will have to choose between Unica and Première Vision,” which runs this week.
“We’ve had five more exhibitors this time around, but we are not really interested in growing the fair, and Unica is a little early for most Como mills,” said Beppe Pisani, president of Ideacomo, which joined with other shows to form Unica last year. “It’s too early for us to choose between Unica and Première Vision, but it will be the clients who make that choice for us.”
The show’s new location presented some challenges, with exhibitors and buyers facing traffic jams and long walks to get to the facility. Others were pleased to have Moda In, Ideacomo, Ideabiella, Shirt Avenue and Prato Expo held together.
“I have faith that this show will succeed,” said Francesco Marini, a designer for Prato Expo exhibitor Marini e Cecconi. “There have been a few problems for American buyers getting here and certainly the services haven’t been up to scratch — people waiting in queues to buy their lunch and not being able to sit down, you know they are small things but they count.”
In response, Unica president Paolo Zegna said the organizers were considering moving back to the show’s original venue of Milan’s city fairgrounds.
“It certainly has its advantages,” Zegna said. “It’s much smaller and easier to handle.”
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Despite the setbacks, executives were upbeat about the prospects for this year, with many welcoming back buyers from the U.S. and abroad who showed renewed interest in European fabrics.
“We had a fantastic year in sales of our fabrics to U.S. buyers last year and we think that is going to carry on into 2006,” said Vito Riela, director of Prato-based Lanificio Lamberto.
Edward Wilkerson, designer of New York-based Lafayette 148, said it was his second time at Unica and he found a good basis for the line’s next summer collection, which would be made in many of the Italian fabrics he sourced in the two days scouring Moda In and Ideacomo.
“I am really happy with the fabric choices here,” said Wilkerson. “I’ve found some amazing printed cotton jerseys, technically enhanced fabrics that are beautiful, like the silver burnt-out silk and viscose as well as linen with Lurex in peach.”
Lurex shined at many collections in Moda In, in ice blue stretch at MarioBoselli Jersey, and mixed with silk and viscose in champagne and beige hues at Mario Cucchiati. Hemp was also a draw for many buyers, especially in natural basket weaves or mixed with cotton.
“We have had so many American buyers coming into the stand to look at our hemp and linen fabrics,” said Francesca Crespi at Crespi. “That’s all they seem to want for next summer.”
Exhibiting at Ideacomo was Loro Piana’s women’s wear textile division. The mill showed fresh summer fabrics, including Egyptian cotton with a ceramic glazed finish, and Cambric linen and wool blends that were crease-resistant in raspberry and cool blue shades.
Fabrics at Prato Expo took on Como-style characteristics with the insertion of silk and fine cotton. Lanificio Lamberto specially imported raw silks from India that were dyed in tones of beige and yellow and overembroidered. Cangioli showed thin silk and cotton blends in yellow and beige, alongside seersucker in pale blue. Ugo Pacini’s silk organza was white and embroidered with pastel flowers.
Muslin cottons and gauze-like cotton and linen blends replaced Ideacomo’s usual selection of silks. Heavy red and black embroidery in polkadots and graphics decorated white eyelet cottons at Zibetti e Orsini.
The Cashmere & Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute detailed during the show the launch of a new division to protect the labeling that differentiates the quality of wool fabric. The Superfine Wool Council CCMI will ensure luxury goods created from fine and superfine wools have the correct labeling and classification.
Karl Spilhaus, president of CCMI, explained that the institute would randomly purchase garments from retail points around the world boasting labels for the fineness of fiber and then test them in independent laboratories. When mislabeling is found, the institute will notify retailers and garment producers they are selling mislabeled product.