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Assocalzaturifici and EMI are launching two events in CIS countries: “La Moda Italiana@Almaty” in Kazakhstan, March 5 through 7, and “La Moda Italiana@Kiev” in Ukraine, March 11 and 12.

The two events are based on the successful formula of “Shoes from Italy”, a footwear event Assocalzaturifici organised in Kazakhstan and Ukraine for more than a decade, expanded to include the entire fashion industry and present the retail market with a single event offering an all-Italian “total look”.

The support of ITA Agency with promotion of the initiative among footwear dealers and the practical assistance of ITA Almaty and ITA Kiev in on-site organisation complete the infrastructure of this important event for the fashion industry

La Moda Italiana@Almaty

The event takes place in Kazakhstan’s financial capital, Almaty, March 5 through 7 2019, at the prestigious Dom Priemov.

45 Italian fashion brands have confirmed that they will be at La Moda Italiana@Almaty to meet with a highly qualified selection of buyers from all over Central Asia through the incoming buyer programme financed by ITA Agency.

Kazakhstan is the second largest market in the area measured in terms of GDP, after Russia. Italian exports to Kazakhstan in the first ten months of 2018 amounted to 328 thousand pairs of shoes worth a total of 22.4 million euros, up 3.5% over the previous year in terms of quantity.

“The Kazakh market has not yet overcome the financial difficulties resulting from Russia’s economic crisis,” says Marino Fabiani, Assocalzaturifici adviser responsible for business in the CIS area. “The banking system is experiencing difficulty, and the currency, the tenge, is still weak compared to the euro and the dollar. This makes life harder for our clients, and consumer demand is not high either.

Yet the figures for the first ten months of last year suggest a partial upswing in the volume of Italian exports to the country. After all, Kazakhstan is the second largest market in the CIS area, and above all it demonstrates a strong interest in quality Italian footwear, which its high-spending clientèle are not ready to give up”.

La Moda Italiana@Almaty has a key role to play in maintaining strong links with a clientèle in search of quality located far away from the traditional sites of promotion of the Italian Fashion System, building new business opportunities in an area that still has plenty of potential for economic growth thanks to its vast energy resources.

Fabiani concludes, “The trade fair also intercepts buyers from Uzbekistan, a country that is seeing considerable growth of consumption (where the average price per pair is over 100 euros) and is open to foreign investment, as well as other Central Asian republics such as Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan”.

La Moda Italiana@Kiev

The spotlight will be on footwear, clothing and accessories at La Moda Italiana@Kiev in the Hotel Intercontinental in the Ukrainian capital March 11 through 12, 2019. Held in partnership with ITA Kiev, the event is the first b2b workshop for the Italian fashion industry in Ukraine. 24 companies will be offered an opportunity to introduce their brands on the Ukrainian market and consolidate their presence in the country’s principal distribution channels.

About 130 buyers are expected to attend, primarily as a result of ITA Agency’s promotion among footwear buyers.

Ukraine is going through tough times, but continues to represent an important market for the fashion industry as a whole. Italian footwear exports to Ukraine were worth 42 million euros in the first ten months of 2018, despite a -1.5% drop by quantity, -2% by value.

“Ukraine is acquiring a degree of stability once again, and represents the most important market for Italian footwear in eastern Europe after Russia,” says Marino Fabiani, Assocalzaturifici adviser responsible for business in the CIS area. “The currency has held its ground over the past year, allowing us to partially recover the volumes lost during the political and economic crisis of 2014-15.

Ukrainian buyers are staying true to Italian products, as demonstrated by their large presence at MICAM in Milan. Despite the slight drop in exports measured in terms of both value and volume in the first ten months of 2018 – partly due to the uncertainty that always precedes elections, scheduled for March 31 – Ukraine is still a very important market for Italian footwear, including premium footwear.

“Assocalzaturifici continues to watch and invest in the CIS area, a key market for Italian- made footwear.” “Though the difficult economic trend and the uncertainty of the financial climate have had a major impact on the area in the past four years, La Moda Italiana@Almaty and La Moda Italiana@Kiev offer an excellent opportunity for small to mid-sized Italian enterprises wanting to invest, innovate and expand internationally,” says Arturo Venanzi, Assocalzaturifici adviser appointed to cover Russia and the CIS area.

“Our partnerships with EMI (Ente Moda Italia) and SMI (Sistema Moda Italia) and the support of ITA Agency are essential, allowing Assocalzaturifici to implement targeted actions setting up a system and intercepting new buyers. This year’s exhibition will also include a series of Italian clothing manufacturers, adding value which will have a positive impact on the service we provide and offer an additional incentive for all the buyers participating in our event”.

“The ‘La Moda Italiana’ shows in Almaty and Kiev are two strategic platforms for participating Italian men’s and women’s clothing brands,” says Alberto Scaccioni, Ente Moda Italia CEO.

“This is an important opportunity to enter two markets in areas that used to be parts of the Soviet Union and the countries around them, which are significant importers of Italian fashion. We will be bringing Assocalzaturifici member companies and a vast selection of men’s and women’s footwear collections to Almaty, the financial heart of a country which has been demonstrating growing appreciation of Italian style over the past few seasons. This is confirmed by Confindustria Moda Study Centre figures registering a growth rate of +4.0% for clothing, hosiery and footwear exports in the first 8 months of 2018, registering a total value of 38.8 million euros (riding the wave of the favourable trend that appeared in 2017, when exports totalled almost 60 million euros). And our expectations for our companies’ participation in Kiev are high, because, despite the complex geopolitical scenario, the Ukrainian market has demonstrated a great ability to bound back: Italian fashion exports grew +3.5% in the first 8 months of 2018, to a total of 87.5 million euros, in the wake of the growth trend registered in 2017, confirming Ukraine’s importance as the second largest market in the CIS area, after Russia. I wish to conclude by underlining the extent to which the value and effectiveness of these shows is dependent on our work in partnership with Assocalzaturifici and Sistema Moda Italia, with the essential support of ITA Agency and its offices in these countries, with whom we are conducting promotional actions specifically targeting the best buyers and underlining the quality and style of Italian fashion”.

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