Excellence, creativity and professional development
at “the MICAM84”

The world’s most important footwear trade fair gets under way. With 1441 exhibitors (including 797 from Italy), the MICAM features lots of new names this year: Fashion Square will see the participation of Giorgio Armani, Jimmy Choo, Dolce&Gabbana, Sergio Rossi and Ermenegildo Zegna. Long-awaited events include an exhibition of Gastel photographs.

Creativity, passion, consolidated experience and plenty of enthusiasm: these are the key ingredients making the 84th edition of the MICAM, the international footwear trade fair at Fiera Milano (Rho) September 17 through 20, truly unique and special.

From the increasingly glamorous and attractive exhibition layout to a parterre including more and more prestigious exhibitors every year, the MICAM is proud of its international status as it opens this season: exhibitors who come here to meet buyers from all over the world rightly consider the event an essential opportunity to launch new products, establish and consolidate business relationships, and finalise their international marketing strategies.

the MICAM’s leadership on the world trade fair scene is confirmed by the presence of 1441 exhibitors (797 from Italy and 644 international), making the event the most highly qualified and authoritative showcase of top end footwear collections. A vital exhibition, the utmost expression of the creativity and quality of one of Italy’s most important industries, with more than 77 thousand people directly employed by almost 5 thousand companies.

the MICAM84 maintains continuity with the relaunching project begun in February: the creation of a new concept for pavilions 1 and 3, arranged with larger, more practical areas where buyers and exhibitors can interact, and a tunnel directly linking iKIDS Square with pavilion 6. Style Square in pavilion 3 has a new layout, joining the area focusing on the most prestigious international stylists’ collections with the work of emerging talents in the footwear industry: the perfect combination of research in style and creativity with an opportunity to view the work of established names and emerging new fashion designers together.

the MICAM’s allegorical voyage through Dante’s “Divine Comedy” continues this year, focusing on the theme chosen by Assocalzaturifici for its new advertising campaign. After the sin of “Lust”, theme of the February event, this edition of the MICAM focuses on “Seduction” to represent the beauty and hand-crafted quality of Italian shoes, icons of uniqueness and expression of elegant, refined style.

As a symbol of authenticity, Italian footwear encloses a cultural identity worth protecting and preserving, making it necessary to “invest” the joint efforts of the entire industry in concrete actions. Not only well-known brands but big names in fashion have turned out to support Italian manufacturing industry by participating in the 84th edition of the MICAM: Fendi, Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci, Prada and Tod’s are back at Fashion Square, a futuristic area focusing exclusively on the most prestigious brands, which welcomes a number of important new brands this year including Giorgio Armani, Jimmy Choo, Dolce&Gabbana, Sergio Rossi and Ermenegildo Zegna.

The fashion industry has worked together with the support of Italian institutions to set up an ambitious project which will be concretely implemented by coordinating with the calendar of Milano Moda Donna: for the first time, the last day of the MICAM will coincide with the opening of fashion week in Milan. This strategic timing is the result of cooperation throughout the fashion industry, bringing fashion shows and trade fairs in Milan together to make the city a true symbol of Italian fashion.

But promotion and protection of the excellence of Italian products are the true challenges facing the MICAM. Cultural identity, top quality, refined design and quality materials are what make Italian shoes stand out from the rest: fashion is not just “business”, it’s culture and tradition. “We really need consumers to see that there is a history behind the products they buy,” says Assocalzaturifici President Annarita Pilotti. “People need to realise that ‘Made in Italy’ doesn’t just mean a product was MADE in Italy; it means it is the product of uniquely Italian creativity. An authentic Italian shoe cannot be copied”.

The concept of “uniqueness” is based on another important theme for the MICAM, prevention of counterfeiting, for the Italian market in counterfeit goods is worth more than 6 billion euros a year and costs the footwear industry 190 to 240 million euros in losses.

“Counterfeiting damages the image of Italian-made goods and undermines the country’s entire economy,” adds Pilotti. “It is very important to educate consumers about the importance of buying authentic Italian-made goods, to ensure that the new generation of consumers are aware of the risks they run if they buy copies. Our common goal is to protect Italian creativity, and the MICAM is the ideal place for promoting it,” she concludes.

The event is also about entertainment and education: the packed calendar of events at the MICAM Square in pavilion 7 will include fashion shows featuring more than 80 international brands showing previews of S/S 2018-2019 fashion and footwear trends – held every day at 12:45 in the MICAM Square. Seminars and presentations by trend specialists from WGSN will be held in pavilion 7, with in-depth information for the US and Canada, information on new materials used and consumer behaviour, while iKIDS Square in pavilion 4b focuses on footwear and fashion trends for children in spring/summer 2018.

Once again the MICAM consolidates its partnership with Proraso, back in Man Square in pavilion 1 with a three-seat “Barber Shop” where men can get a shave or have their beards trimmed. There will also be a couple of shoe-shine stations set up beneath the iconic installation shaped like a man’s show. Food and originality will be offered by Yujia Hu, a 28-year-old chef and artist known to the public as “the onigiri artist” for creating “shoeshi”, that is, shoe-shaped sushi: on September 17 and 18 he may be seen at work, and his sushi styles inspired by shoes on exhibit at the fair will be available for sampling.

The footwear industry is holding a competition for young people who want to learn the basics of the trade and require professional training:“The myth and magic of Asia”, held in partnership with MIUR, the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research, with the participation of more than 70 schools of various levels. The winners’ projects will be on display in pavilion 1 throughout the event, and awards will be presented to the young people during a show at 10:30 on September 19.

The partnership with ITA Agency for promotion of the MICAM continues: with ITA’s support and funds from the Ministry of Economic Development, the event will once again host a selection of qualified international reporters and buyers.

In order to make it easier for visitors to get to the trade fair district in Rho, the MICAM has set up a partnership with Airbnb, the online portal for offering, locating and booking lodgings in homes all over the world: through integration of the MICAM’s web site with Airbnb, visitors can now view the available options closest to the Rho trade fair district and book their lodgings directly online.

Scheduled events include a thrilling evening at Fashion Square in pavilion 1 on Sunday, September 17 featuring special guests: the newly elected Miss Italia 2017, Alice Rachele Arlanch, and football player Alessandro Del Piero, who will present Promoted by:
“the MICAM Award” to the best international buyer and the “Shoe Retailers Century Award” to eight Italian buyers who have been in business for over a century. This will be followed by a “Seduction Remix” party featuring guest star Bob Sinclar.

On September 15 through 30, at Spazio Borgonuovo in Milan’s fashion district, the MICAM presents a special photo exhibition based on the book “Similitudini. L’arte della calzatura italiana” (“Similes. The art of Italian footwear”) by Giovanni Gastel. The famous photographer created very unusual images starting from a detail of Italian shoes made by Assocalzaturifici members.

the MICAM has a growing presence on the social networks, with a twitter account (@ITfootwear), Instagram channel (@themicam), Facebook page (theMICAM) and the Assocalzaturifici platform, “Italianshoes.com”. During the event, visitors will be able to take selfies at the “Gif Booth” and print them out or share them on the social networks (#themicam).

See you at “the MICAM84” September 17 through 20!

Promoted by:

Via Monte Rosa, 21 I-20149 Milano
Telephone +39 02 43829.1 Fax +39 02 48005833 stampa@assocalzaturifici.it www.themicam.com

Milan, 15 September 2017