To get going again. Or to dedicate yourself once more. To be present at the leading event in the leather sector and show off your best collections to the best clients. Although the economic situation is not smiling on the fashion industry at the moment, as a result of problems that have now become chronic (the Russian crisis, the slow-down in consumer spending in China, the terrorism threat), Lineapelle has come up to the starting block with an entrepreneurial spirit. Leather companies are facing up to the impasse and see the Milan fair as the stage on which they can show what they’re capable of. “We invest a lot in fairs throughout the year, and Lineapelle is the highlight for us,” says Mirko Cara of the Kara Group. “This is where you meet clients from around the world and our job is to come up with a stylistic display that they find really striking.” This Lombardy company is currently experiencing positive growth and is hoping that the fair will give a further boost to the trend. The Icos company from Solofra is also looking for confirmation of its performance: “Sales of our summer collection performed well in June and July,” Bernie Famiglietti explains. “September is the turning point in the year, and we’re hoping to see comforting signs for the last months of 2016. These are important times at an international level, but those of us in the leather industry need to accept the situation and adapt to changes in the market,” says Piero Rosati from Incas. “We’re continuing to invest a great deal in our products and our productive capacity.” For those who are seeing their certainties wavering, the fair also offers an opportunity to build an alternative future. That’s the situation for the Etre company from the Marche, who produce footwear accessories: “In the last few years, the Italian clientele been in real difficulty as a result of the Russian crisis,” explains the company’s owner, Corrado Buccioni. “That’s why we need to extend our network of commercial relationships to North America and northern and eastern Europe. So in this sense, taking part in Lineapelle is a strategic move: you get to meet new clients.”
The economic situation holds no fears: Lineapelle is underway. A spirit of determination and entrepreneurship prevails among exhibitors: “It’s the highlight of the world fairs”
