(Mar. 1) – Coco Chanel said “Fashion passes, style remains”. Style, elegance and apparel made in Italy are protagonists in these days in Poland. Italian companies from Verona have attended a promotional initiative in Poland dedicated to the fashion industry in Verona, organized by the Verona Chamber of Commerce of Verona, in collaboration with the Consorzio Casa Verona and the Italian-Polish Chamber of Commerce. 10 companies from Verona participate to deepen the knowledge of the Polish market, one of the few growing economies of the European Union, and that is being prepared for strong investments and a series of new infrastructures for the upcoming 2012 European Football Championship. The initiative started with a visit to the main fashion fair in Poznan, then continued in Warsaw to evaluate the shops distribution system, which is based on retail chains and shop districts, because of the harsh winters. The initiative, managed and coordinated by the Chamber of Commerce, aims to promote the internationalization of companies from Verona, towards a mature market where there is still room for growth in the fashion industry. (Red/Peg)
FASHION, ITALY BEATS FRANCE
“It is the home of sector giants, from LVMH to PPR who in the last decade raided the best Italian businesses: from Gucci to Fendi, from Bottega Veneta to Bulgari passing through Brioni”, “however, at a strictly industrial level, France’s fashion sector loses all its charm”. This is on an article of ‘Il Sole 24 Ore’, entitled “Italy clobbers France in the industrial lsector”, in which are analyzed data processed for Moda24 by Eurtex/Smifor. In 2010 “Italy represented 30.6% of the total Europe 27 turnover in the textile and clothing sector compared with 13.9% for France. That year, Italian turnover rose 7.2% to 49.66 billion while French competitors had to be satisfied with a 3.6% rise to 22.53 billion”. On the export side, “in January-October 2011 Italy generated 18.3% of Europe 27’s total exports compared with 8.6% for France. In reality, Germany was the leader with its 20% but it should be underlined that Germany’s business, Hugo Boss aside, is more focused on the lower-end segment than Italy. Just looking at production, Italy is in any case first with a 19% share compared with 9.5% for France”. The article puts also in evidence that “in 2010 the 53 thousand Italian businesses invested 1.47 billion, up 8.3% compared with the previous year; French investments instead rose 3.9% to 603 million. Italian investments therefore represented 31.5% of the total in Europe-27 against 12.9% for the French. Looking at the breakup of clothing and textile, focusing downstream, Italy’s leadership is even more striking: in 2010 Italy’s share of turnover was 37.8% compared with 13.2% for France. Italian turnover was of 29.9 billion, up 1.9%, while France’s was 10.4 billion, up 2.4%”.
