Italian Spinners Craft Brighter Outlook for Pitti Filati
Italian yarn firms are preparing to show their fall 2016 collections at the Pitti Filati yarn fair at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence July 1 to 3 with a solid but tempered outlook.
Improving economic conditions for the Italian fashion industry have yet to reach broadly into the yarn sector despite strong knitwear exports,
according to the Italian fashion and textile consortium Sistema Moda Italia. Italian yarn exports slipped 0.3 percent in 2014 to 1.98 billion euros, or $2.23 billion at current exchange rates, weighed down by uncertain conditions for wool spinners and fiber refiners. Meanwhile Italian knitwear exports rose 5.9 percent to 6.38 billion euros, or $7.18 million.
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The head of fair organizer Pitti Immagine pointed to continuing signs of sector-wide recovery and digital innovations that are fostering greater participation in Pitti fair offerings. Raffaello Napoleone, chief executive officer of Pitti Immagine, cited the creation of a smartphone application as a technological adoption that has stimulated business and increased the fair’s exhibitor base.
Buyers from 105 countries have attended Pitti Immagine’s online fairs — launched two seasons ago — browsing the collections of 1,336 brands in yarns, men’s wear, women’s wear and children’s wear.
Pitti is now expanding its trend forecasting to offer a subscription-based service, also through the online fair app, in partnership with Nextatlas. The service spots emerging trends based on the analysis of Big Data, using sophisticated algorithms to read social media for visual mood boards, geographic reports, color palettes, macro interests and the evolution of trends.
The Italian fashion and textile sector as a whole is recovering from a two-year challenge, with total turnover rising only 2.7 percent in 2014 to 52.07 billion euros, or $58.63 billion. Sales growth is expected to be even stronger in 2015 at 3.8 percent, SMI said.
Napoleone cautioned that the fruits of the current season for yarn spinners will not be known for at least another year, but yarn spinners report that the strong dollar versus the euro is buoying exports.
“The market this season went well, recovering especially in the markets of the Far East and the U.S., where there was the advantage of the dollar,” said Silvio Botto, ceo of Lanificio Botto Giuseppe & Figli, which specializes in superfine wool, cashmere and silk.
Italian yarn spinner and textile maker Tollegno 1900 said recovery in the American market helped it close 2014 with a 10 percent increase over its 2013 turnover of 140 million euros, or $157.6 million.
“We are finding a return of American buyers interested not only [in] the purchase of Italian yarns, but also in producing clothing with us. Pitti Immagine Filati will be a litmus test for this trend,” said Tollegno 1900 ceo Lincoln Germanetti, who also observed that a global tendency toward reshoring is occurring in Italy. “We have also concretely verified the trend of our foreign customers returning to Italian production strategies. We are hopeful of this promising signal that points to economic recovery in our country.”
Tollegno 1900 is investing more than 20 million euros, or $22.7 million, in warehousing to increase its stock service capacity by 30 percent. Tollegno 1900 will present a series of high-performance extrafine merino wools at Pitti Filati, including its Racing and Wooltech yarns for activewear and sportswear, and updated classic yarns.
High performance will also be spotlighted at Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia, a spinner introducing extrafine wool yarns called ReActive H2Dry and K-Wool H2Dry it said offers more breathability, elasticity and crease resistance in superfine 17.5- and 19.5-micron wool.
Lineapiu? Engaged in Premium fashion yarn specialist Filpucci, meanwhile, is expanding its Ninetyfive capsule collection of eco-friendly luxury yarns made from recuperated cashmere fibers dubbed CO2free and Re.VerSo.
“The ethical question is making itself heard, especially among Western economies,” said Filpucci vice president Federico Gualtieri. “In our case, it’s something we’ve been putting into practice for a long time — years ago — by experimenting with vegetable pigments and natural man-made fibers; today, with a more in-depth approach.”
Filpucci has joined a consortium of companies called Process Factory that supports implementation of sustainable management models and product conformity with environmental standards. Gualtieri said Re.VerSo is a supplier that “supports these principles.”
“We’d already begun studying the reintroduction of recovered luxury fibers, but now, through this new selection system, we’re perfecting our message,” Gualtieri added.
Filpucci will present nearly 50 yarns pushed to creative extremes in two moods, Luxury and Contemporary, from an ethereal 12 count to a chunky 1,000 count. The Luxury line focuses on technologically and aesthetically innovative, cloudlike blends of cashmere blended with mohair, yak, silk, baby alpaca and camel hair. The Contemporary line combines modern effects such as 3-D and artistic effects with classic precious fibers.
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