Accessories in the limelight

With #BetterTogether the Micam, Mipel, TheOneMilano and Homi (which happens ahead of time, on the 11^th of March) events return to Rho Fiera Milano from the 13^th to the 15^th of March and come together to offer buyers over 1,400 brands, 821 of which do footwear alone. Micam, despite the concerns related to the Ukrainian conflict, reaffirms itself as an essential moment for business at an international level, intercepting market trends – not only in terms of fashion, but also with an eye for environmental-savvy values. Sustainability, thus, becomes an important focus in the Green Zone, an area in pavilion 7 dedicated to this theme. There are 20 footwear pieces of exhibiting companies that testify sustainability through their materials, production systems, product life cycle, and through the collection of ACBC, the B Corp certified brand, and with capsules made in collaboration with Alexander Smith, GEOX, Malìparmi, Northwave, Pantofola d’Oro 1886, Piquadro, Rewoolution, Save The Duck, Philippe Model. In addition, the Green Zone will act as a springboard for VCS (Verified and Certified Steps), the certification brand owned by Assocalzaturifici, designed for the footwear industry that aims at the highest standards of sustainability. VCS guarantees a sustainable approach, quality and manufacturing excellence and wants to be a symbol recognised by buyers, sector operators and financial institutions. In addition to being a brand, VCS is a software tool, a ‘compass’ that indicates the benchmarks and initiatives that would allow companies to improve or build their own sustainability impact. During Micam, live demonstrations will be held to allow operators to familiarise themselves with this easy-to-use tool that measures company performance on social, environmental and governance issues.

The Emerging Designers, 10 creative professionals from Italy and Europe, also return to Micam, while innovation finds its space in the Micam X area which offers meetings and initiatives dedicated to the four major themes: Retail of the future, Sustainability, Trends and materials, Art Fashion Heritage & Future.

If the fair is a moment for business, footwear still remains the object of women’s desire and it is presented as such at ‘Tales Square’, the area inspired by the communication campaign focused on the Glamorous Magic theme. The star of the show is a glamorous shoe that, though reminiscent of Cinderella’s glass slipper, is made contemporary with a vinyl upper embellished with large crystals.

As part of the Mipel format (100 exhibitors are present at the fair), there is space for the new collaboration with Mirta Wholesale, the B2B portal created to connect small artisan businesses with luxury boutiques, which now also becomes an exhibition area with a selection of artisans present on the platform and a series of talks on topics of interest such as digital strategies, female entrepreneurship, and social media.

TheOneMilano focuses on slow fashion and brings artisan professions into the limelight, the highest expression of ‘Made in Italy’. In a dedicated area, there are the workbenches and tools of the embroiderer, the tailor, the loom weaver, the shoemaker, the leather worker, the milliner, the furrier, the optician, the goldsmith, and the lace maker, all at work to explain how garments and objects are born. TheOneMilano’s message is clear: buying today is a cultural act, a conscious response to the problems of overproduction, pollution, and disrespect for people and their work.

Homi Fashion&Jewels hosts 376 brands, 37% of which come from abroad and, in addition to trendy products, presents the collaboration with Polidesign through a special observatory that has identified two future macro trends, one linked to the influence of the 1920s with a ‘Beyond Reality’ mood, the other focused more on intimacy entitled ‘Handle with Care’.