Nowadays, clothing and footwear exhibitions are no longer just a place where professionals show their achievements, new products and sign new contracts. This is a kind of symbol of hope that all is not lost and the industry has prospects for development.

 

The MICAM exhibition, held from September 3-6, has become not just an industry forum and platform for the promotion of shoe brands. This is already a world-class event, a serious event, behind which there is a search for solutions for the development of the shoe industry in Europe and in Italy in particular, as well as many other important issues. More than 63 thousand m2 of exhibition space, 1,478 exhibitors who presented more than 2,000 brands, such an indicator is not so easy to achieve and cannot be taken for granted: This is the result of the work and efforts of the management and employees of Fiera Milano, the MICAM exhibition, Assocalzaturifici, the Ministry of Economic Development, ICE, WGSN and many other people and organizations. Behind this success is the sincere love of the organizers and exhibitors for the shoe industry and the search for ways to further develop it. In addition to traditional presentations, the exhibition touched upon the importation of low-quality cheap shoes to Europe, opposition to political factors that negatively affect the industry, discussed serious interest in the Russian market, talked about future generations of shoe designers.

 

But even this is not the main thing. In the foreground is a four-day celebration of Her Majesty's Shoes under the bright Italian sun. Shoes for every taste, any age, exquisite, bizarre, the most diverse design, the latest technology and consistently of the highest quality. The 82nd MICAM Exhibition is one of the most anticipated events in the shoe industry for the entire business community. This season brought a record number of international participants - 651 exhibitors from 33 countries. The most important regions of Italy producing shoes were represented by 827 companies (Ruco Line, Dino Bigioni, Nouchka, Di Gregorio, Gianna Meliani, Pakerson, Luciano Padovan, Mafer, Mario Bruni, etc.). The presence of brands such as Pollini, Missoni, Gattinoni, Fratelli Borgioli and others speaks about the level of the exhibition.

 

 

The main part of foreign manufacturers were representatives of Spain (Pertini, Desigual, Pretty Ballerinas, Pura Lopez, Maypol, MUSTANG). There were quite a few shoe manufacturers from Brazil (Brazilianfootwear: Pegada, Itapua, Ipanema, Usaflex, Tabita, Sapatoterapia), as well as Portugal (Flax& Go, Fly London, Luis Onofre), France (MEPHISTO, etc.), Germany (Ara, Peter Kaizer) and so on.

 

Seven pavilions were again occupied by six sections: Luxury Area, International Designers Area, Contemporary Area, Kids Area, Active and Cosmopolitan Areas. 
To go around all the stands, see, write down and remember everything is just an unrealistic task. But the thoughtful structuring of this huge space filled with an incredible number of stamps helps to cope with it. And this thoughtfulness makes the work successful and fruitful.

 

 

A rich program of seminars was presented to visitors and exhibitors, which were prepared in cooperation with WGSN, with the support of the Minister of Economic Development and ICE. The participants of the business program had the opportunity to study the main trends of the coming season, take a comprehensive look at global retail, find solutions to pressing problems with the help of visual merchandising and marketing with a focus on consumer behavior, especially the millennial generation. During the first three days, MICAM was the center of fashion shows, shows organized jointly with Rosemary Ferrari: more than a hundred brands were presented on the podium.

 

Pavilion 4 was dedicated to the MIUR competition, the purpose of which is to attract young designers to the shoe business. The projects of the winners and holders of certificates of honor from Assocalzaturifici were exhibited there. In the same pavilion, the works of artist Sara Soattini were presented: the imaginary world of shoes – cities in the shape of shoes. The shoes represented each country, its monuments and buildings, it was a visual narrative connecting Europe with the rest of the world through art and design.

 

 

On September 3, The MICAM Award was presented at Villa Necchi Campiglio, where the best buyers were invited. There was a screening of the film – «A 50-year journey into the world of Italian fashion with an emphasis on shoes », which tells about shoes as a concentration of creativity and painstaking manual labor, which makes it look like a work of art. The Twelve Shoes exhibition was also devoted to this topic: twelve pairs of shoes needed every day in various situations. 12 pairs of shoes of various styles were selected from those presented at the exhibition.

 

The exhibition resembled a real fashionable mosaic. Thick soles and sporty style were presented even in classic and elegant shoes. The pad begins to lengthen again, although the cape remains rounded. Mixing themes, combining different trends and ideas, combining different types of skin is sometimes pretentious and exaggerated. Rivets and patent leather, animal prints, inspiration from nature or architecture, but comfort and elegance are at the forefront. The search for ideas in the 70s of the last century, in the countries of the East. The heel is thin and the heel is thick, of any shape. Buckles, brushes, various rivets. The color scheme is black, red, green, brown, blue and their combination. The combination of leather and elastic fabrics is also in fashion, not only in boots, ankle boots and boots, but also in urban and festive shoes, denim shoes, in cowboy style. Oxford-shoes remain on the crest of the wave, but sportier and more classic options are popular. Boots, ankle boots, patent leather boots with high heels or low running. A four-centimeter heel is in fashion for women who appreciate elegance, but prefer comfort.

 

Four days of the exhibition were spent in a cycle of emotions and impressions. The six-month work of a huge number of people has brought its constructive fruits. The next six months are ahead with new tasks, problems, trends, successes, efforts. And the shoes from the MICAM stands have come to life and will soon appear on the shelves of fashion stores around the world.
Author: Lyudmila Kuprik
Photo: Lyudmila Kuprik