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A CLIMATE OF RECOVERY FOR THE
INTERNATIONAL YARN INDUSTRY AT PITTI FILATI 67:
A 10% INCREASE IN FOREIGN BUYERS,
WITH 5,100 BUYERS ATTENDING IN TOTAL

The 67th edition of Pitti Filati ended with high hopes of recovery for the international quality knitting yarn industry.  In fact, the final attendance figures registered a total of 5,100 visitors (+ 4% with respect to the 4,900 buyers in July 2009).  With regard to Italian attendance, the levels recorded at the last summer edition were confirmed (2,900 Italian buyers in total), whilst there was a significant increase in foreign buyers (around + 10%).

“This edition of Pitti Filati exceeded our initial expectations”, says Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine, “and offers important, dynamic confirmation of the data recorded by the Italian knitting yarn industry in the first few months of 2010 (according to Sistema Moda Italia, in the first three months, industrial production for the sector registered an increase of + 8.6%).  Our exhibitors have worked very hard over the last few days and were able to meet with all the top international buyers and style bureaus who came to Florence to carry out research, as well as to find and buy the most suitable yarns for their winter 2011 collections.  These figures and signs clearly prove that knitwear is once again an important market player and confirm the importance of Italian yarns in high end production.  The excellence of the products on display has, once again, made Pitti Filati an unmissable event”.

There was a good performance from more or less all the foreign markets, with substantial increases for the United Kingdom (+ 16%), Holland (+ 40%), Turkey (+ 18%), China and South Korea, the doubling of buyers from Russia and excellent results for Germany, the United States, Spain and Japan.
Once again Germany came out on top in terms of buyer attendance (389), followed by the United Kingdom (302), France (212), the United States (209), Spain (115), Japan (113), Hong Kong (104), Switzerland (88), Holland (78), Turkey (71), Russia (64) Sweden (56), China (41), Austria (33) and Belgium (27).

Over the three days of the fair, the well-established synergy with PRIMA Moda Tessuto also received a lot of positive comments, and the attendance figures for the event was further proof that the combination with fabrics really works and constitutes an extra service for international buyers.

Buyers and journalists were unanimous in their enthusiasm for Move!, the new Pitti Filati Spazio Ricerca – under the artistic direction of Angelo Figus and Nicola Miller -  also realized thanks to the excellent work carried out by students from Polimoda Florence, who produced the garments presented.

We should also mention the success of the “Feel The Yarn” competition (the result of cooperation between Toscana Promozione, C.P.F. - Consorzio Promozione Filati and Pitti Immagine), dedicated to aspiring knitwear designers from five international fashion schools, who presented garments realized using yarns from a selection of Tuscan companies.  This morning, the international jury of journalists and experts and the public attending Pitti Filati, who were invited to cast their votes over the first two days of the event, unanimously proclaimed the winner: Viola Widjaja, from the Fachhoschule, a fashion school in Trier, Germany.   

We collected some comments from buyers attending Pitti Filati 67:

Ciara Walsh - knitwear designer for Marc Jacobs (USA)
“I have seen lots of interesting new ideas at this edition, I like the collections a lot: yarns that are easy to treat, with a good focus on the various typologies.  Most importantly, the yarn industry is becoming increasingly flexible in terms of the customization of colors, the number of services offered and the quantities of the orders.  I am always very happy to come to Florence and, anyway, winter is the most exciting season for us: there are lots of new things to discover and Italian yarns express the greatest amount of creativity and innovation”.

Massimiliano Giornetti – creative director of the Salvatore Ferragamo group (Italy)
“It is very important to attend Pitti Filati and, despite the rather tight schedule at this time of the season, it is a truly unmissable event.  I like this show, there is a relaxing atmosphere and I am able to meet all our top suppliers: this is where I can get that important, first response to the collection we are working on, and compare our perception – the way we feel – with the producers’ own vision.  Next winter I think that thick-looking yarns will do well, knitwear with a richer appearance, that looks almost handmade, but has a light specific weight.  I think the most important approach for next season is to lighten weights and designers can play an active role in this regard by combining beauty with functionality”.

Giovanna Taiana Tully - team leader of Hugo Boss Donna and Boss Orange Donna (Italy)
“There is a great atmosphere amongst the stands: a certain kind of energy.  All the most important companies are here with some truly interesting articles.  The increase in the price of raw materials is a bit worrying, but I am sure companies will find the right solutions for their collections.  For next season, I think the alpaca blends are very interesting, with thicker yarns worked using spinning methods that make them very light.  I also liked the thinner alpacas for making lighter garments”. 

Vee Lapnarongchai, knitwear designer for Derek Lam International LLC (New York) :
“This show thrills me every time I come: it is an extraordinary event for people who, like me, are looking for input for their creative research as well as a hospitable place where the crisis seems to be just a distant memory.  Every season I find something interesting and exciting.  I was particularly impressed by the Spazio Ricerca at this Pitti Filati: the ethnic thread is a very strong trend which Derek Lam has been looking at carefully for a long time, and I thought the idea of proposing it “in miniature” was very original”.

Catherine Micoli, designer for Tommy Hilfiger (USA):
“I saw a lot of people in the stands and could feel an atmosphere of constructive positiveness, a new energy on the part of both buyers and suppliers.  I very much appreciated the work the exhibitors had carried out, proposing concrete products based on research and innovation as well as a better quality-price ratio, a long way away from the exaggerations of the past.  A new contemporary classic style with softness and rounded volumes, ethnic influences and new mélanges.  I thought it was fantastic the way the Spazio Ricerca proposed a multicultural idea with a uniform mixture, along with the latest contemporary trends”.

Stefania Curreli, knitwear manager for Kenzo (France)
“Pitti Filati is a fundamental meeting place and the contacts you make here are very important.  I think that, at last, we are breathing an atmosphere of recovery here and, at this edition, I very much appreciated the concentration, the numerous, interesting innovations and the itinerary which was much easier to decipher than in the past.  I particularly liked the trend area for the original way it reflected the main themes for Fall-Winter 2011-2012”.

Taishi Nobokuni, designer for the brand of the same name (Japan):
“At this edition of Pitti Filati I was particularly struck by the innovative ways the collections were presented and the new layouts proposed by the exhibitors.  The fair itself has also become more enjoyable, more open than before, with more accessible itineraries and products.  Pitti Filati is the ideal platform for discovering the trends for the winter 2011-2012 season.  Talking about trends, I noticed there was renewed attention in natural, precious fibers as well as raw or mélange effect yarns.  Fashion is constantly evolving and this fair manages to keep up with it”.

Mary Corcoran – freelance fashion knitwear designer “Visible-Style” (United Kingdom)
“This is the perfect event for my work: I come to Florence and find all the most important yarn manufacturers, I can see their new collections and discover the latest trends for next season.  In my opinion, this edition’s Spazio Ricerca is one of the best in the last ten years and nearly all the other members of the trade felt the same: this show is truly very fashion oriented, very realistic, you feel that, in just a short space of time, you have grasped all the most important trends and can take wonderful photos, and for me that is really incredible!”
 
Lora Kilicyan, proprietor of the buying office Falorni (Italy)
“I have the impression that this Pitti Filati is a livelier edition than in January and that there is an climate of recovery: I saw people going around the fair and in the stands. I liked the Spazio Ricerca a lot, I felt it was well-structured and legible, like the rest of the fair.  With regard to the trends, I particularly appreciated the new colors and the strong inputs such as the return of ethnic and natural styles, as well as hints of the sea in winter”.