Sept. 10 – “Made in Milan” fashion increases its appeal in Central Asia and the Middle East, registering a growth in exports that, in the first three months of 2013, reached almost €1.3 billion, for a 7.1% increase over the same period of 2012. Europe remains the main market with over half (51.6%) of total exports in the industry, for a 4.9% increase in a year (about €30 million) followed by East Asia (29, 3% of total exports, up 11.4%). Yet, the areas that grow the most between 2012 and 2013 are Central Asia (+21.5%) and the Middle East (+16.4%, nearly €10 million). At a country-level, France alone accounted for over 11% of all exports (about €145 million, up 2.1%), followed by the U.S. (8.4%, €109 million, +1.1%), Japan (7.7%, €100 million, +11.4%) and Korea (6.7%, €86 million, +20.1%) while has imported “Made in Milan” fashion for more than €53 million, up 14.9%, in addition to the approximately €84 million imported via Hong Kong. The Middle East, via clothing, accessories and footwear, absorbed 5% of total Made in Milan exports. Kuwait (+106%) and Brazil (+98%) are the truly booming countries, doubling in one year the value of imports.
