Camera della Moda’s Capasa Touts Italian Fashion Industry Assets
The chamber’s president forecasts growth of 3 percent and sales of 66.7 billion euros in 2018.
MILAN — Carlo Capasa was pumping it up on Thursday.
“We are the best, but we tend to focus on what others do right and what we do wrong, neglecting to see how strong we are,” said the president of Italy's Camera della Moda after the presentation of Milan Fashion Week's schedule, which runs Sept. 19-24 and comprises 165 collections. Capasa touted the Italian fashion industry's growth, which has returned to the levels of 2008, before the global economic crisis. After what he described as “portentous” growth in the second quarter of the year, when the fashion industry (including textiles, clothing, leather goods and footwear) was up 2.9 percent and the overall sector (including fashion, jewelry, eyewear and cosmetics) grew 3.5 percent, the rest of the year is also looking bright. Capasa expects the overall sector to close 2018 with a 2.8 percent gain, totaling revenues of 89.7 billion euros. The fashion industry alone is forecast to grow 3 percent and reach sales of 66.7 billion euros in 2018. The industry would thus be “completely recovering from the fall caused by the financial crisis, even if it is still below the highs of 2017 and very far from the year 2000 level,” said the Camera's Fashion Economic Trends study presented on Thursday.
Fashion exports in 2018 are expected to increase 4.3 percent to 52.2 billion euros, while the fashion and associated sectors are expected to grow 3.1 percent to 67.4 billion euros.
With Gucci exceptionally showing in Paris this season and a lighter first and last day on the schedule, the press pointed to a more compressed and shorter calendar, but Capasa, speaking on the sidelines of the event, challenged that assumption. “In the perfect world, I would like to have 10 days, with all the world here, but, honestly, I see positivity in the city. There are a lot of returns, there are new brands coming, and I think it's healthier to focus on what we are doing well and strengthen that,” said Capasa, citing Moncler's choice to present the Genius project in Milan, for example. “I don't see that many brands [outside of Italy] that have grown as much as they have here, from MSGM, Marco de Vincenzo and Stella Jean to Attico, Blazé, Double J, and now Plan C [the Castiglioni family's new brand]. The week works.” He did not want to elaborate on other fashion calendars, but admitted that each fashion week has its own set of problems, including lengthy schedules. He reiterated that Gucci is the Camera's associate and that it “has given a great contribution and will continue to do. It remains a strong bastion for the city.”
Asked about the Italian industry's growth, Capasa praised the companies' response and reaction to the crisis. “They challenged themselves, innovating their processes, restructuring to become more efficient than ever, improving quality with acceptable prices — we are the first in innovation and sustainability. Let's not forget that the French [ brands] that are so attentive to sustainability produce a lot here. We were behind in digital communication but we learned to communicate and perceived the potential of omnichannel. And we converted from wholesale to retail, which is not an easy step.” Markets such as China and others in the Far East have been rewarding Italian brands because they “recognized these values.” Capasa also spoke of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group acquisition of a majority stake in Thom Browne's