“A great center for high-end women’s prêt-à-porter”: TheOneMilano (based at fieramilanocity) defines itself as an innovative exhibition concept capable of combining between them many different fashion worlds. Between February 22nd and 25th, clothing and fabric, leather and fur, accessories and bijoux met in Milan, all gathered in the name of Haut-à-porter! A wonderful definition, which perfectly sums up the essence of this salon.
Did you know that TheOneMilano comes from the union of Mifur (the international fur exhibition) and Mipap (the Prét â Porter fair)? A brilliant intuition, an absolutely strategic proposal to revitalize the market and create important synergies between national and international fashion protagonists.
The fourth edition was, again, a success. The total visitors of this year’ edition (improved in number in comparison to 2018) were more than 11,000, of which 64% were foreigners.
An excellent result, especially for a business that mainly looks at exports. On the international front, compared to the previous edition, the data speak of a Europe with a central role: in the lead is Greece (+ 18%), followed by Germany (+ 17%) and Spain (+16 %). South Korea (which registers a + 22%) and Ukraine (with a + 7%) confirm its interest for the sector. More than positive signals come from the US, with a + 21%, while Russia, historical reference market, remains stable.
The CEO of the fair, Elena Salvaneschi, told me that “as organizers, we are happy with the results obtained by this edition of TheOneMilano. We closed the event with a positive sign in terms of visitors over the last year. A small (+ 1.69%) but an important sign at the same time, when the market crisis is still palpable. The first two days of the show went really well: these are the days when foreign buyers usually arrive and we have had double-digit increases from important markets such as Korea and the United States, accompanied by Russia’s estate, a crucial reference market, especially for the furs. The Italian market, which we hoped to see more vigorous, did not respond as well as other markets: on the other hand, you just hear the news to verify that the confidence of Italians in the current economic moment is at minimum levels. Shopkeepers are afraid to make purchases because they are afraid of making low return investments. In general, I can say that the proposed product mix (which sees collections built on craftsmanship and innovation) was interesting for Buyers. Our virtual fair www.alwaysOnshhow.com also met great interest: a platform that allows exhibitors and visitors to stay in touch for 365 days a year and that was greatly appreciated: at the fair we had about 300 registrations by Buyers ( all certified by the Secretariat before having user and password access) and we have photographed over 50 collections, through a shooting that will continue in the coming weeks. “
In addition, I also asked Christian Ghielmetti, a fur maker who I’ve been knowing and following for years, what represents for him TheOneMilano fair, and what was his opinion on this particular format: “the fair gives you the opportunity to meet new customers, especially foreigners, I personally like the idea of TheOneMilano!”.
I would like to conclude the article with the words of Nicoletta Dileno, marketing specialist of the footwear brand CenCeTak, to whom I submitted a small interview on the fair.
How long have you been participating in TheOneMilano?
For our brand, this was the first experience at TheOneMilano.
How important is the fair for your CenCeTak brand?
The Fair is an excellent opportunity to make ourselves known and to develop new business opportunities.
Could you describe your brand?
CenCeTak in Friulian means “without heels”: it’s about typical Friulian shoes, whose design has more than 300 years of history, and that was reinterpreted and proposed in a modern version. The CenCeTak philosophy combines sartorial competencies with an innovative system of support and protection of local craftsmanship, thanks to a circuit of small workshops where the attention to product is at very high levels, by providing shoes with the quality of a high fashion garment, and totally handmade. All shoes are unique pieces because the manual stitch is always different from one shoes to the other.
Will you participate in the next edition of TheOneMilano?
Surely we will consider this chance in order to consolidate and deepen the opportunities of this last edition.
Craftsmanship, creativity, research. Three keywords that are absolutely perfect to define TheOneMilano, the same keywords that inspire me and my work from the very forst dayday. Such a strong and huge empathy, that I feel a lot and that makes this fair particularly special to me.
Photos of TheOneMilano Night
Was nice to meet you! See you soon!