Ice and Confindustria Moda: Pitti hypothesis in Mercosur

Textile-clothing exports to Latin America, currently limited to less than EUR 100 million per year (0.3% of the total) due to tariffs of up to 50%, could multiply 'by 10, 20 or even 30 times within five to ten years', thanks to the EU-Mercosur free trade treaty to be signed next Saturday in Paraguay.

"The prospect is that South America will become one of the three main markets in the sector," announced Luca Sburlati, president of Confindustria Moda, yesterday in Florence, at the inauguration of Pitti Uomo, the world's most important men's clothing and accessories fair (750 brands, 47% of them foreign, are exhibiting their new collections until Friday 16), which was attended by the Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy (Mimit), Adolfo Urso, the President of Ice, Matteo Zoppas, the President of the Region of Tuscany, Eugenio Giani, the Mayor of Florence, Sara Funaro, the President of Pitti Immagine, Antonio de Matteis, and the President of the Florence Centre for Italian Fashion, which controls Pitti Immagine, Antonella Mansi.

Sburlati rekindled the hopes of companies recovering from several seasons in the doldrums (see Il Sole 24 Ore of 13 January): 'In Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay we are starting practically from scratch,' he explained, 'so the potential is enormous. Until now, it was impossible to sell our products because of tariffs; with the signing of the treaty, duties will gradually come down and South America will become an extraordinary outlet market'. The president of Confindustria Moda is thinking about exports but also imports: "We hope that the agreement can soon be extended to Mexico as well," he added. Like the whole of Mercosur, the country produces cotton, silk and leather and could be an interesting market for sourcing or for forging partnerships.

Minister Urso also believes in the potential of Mercosur, convinced that 2026 will be the year of new markets for the Italian fashion industry. "The Mercosur area is one of the most promising," stressed Urso, saying he is confident that this 109th edition of Pitti Uomo will mark the recovery of the sector, thanks also to a series of measures put in place by the government: from the transposition of the European regulation on EPR (extended producer responsibility) to the introduction of the two-euro tax on small postal packages arriving from China; from the SME ddl already approved in the Senate (with the deletion of the rule on 'caporalato' contested by the trade unions), which provides for the use of workers close to retirement to train young recruits, to the 100 million euros allocated to finance small development contracts, suitable for SMEs in the fashion industry; to end with the tax credit on samples that has been extended and doubled from 5 to 10 per cent. "Made in Italy is a ship that knows how to face the stormy sea," added Urso, announcing the opening at Pitti Uomo of the 'House of Made in Italy', an office of the Ministry of Enterprise that will provide companies with information on the tools and contributions they can access.

The critical situation that the fashion world is experiencing is also pushing the Ice Agency to seek solutions: "This year we will once again bring 350 buyers from all over the world to Pitti," said President Zoppas, "but in this phase I believe that we also need to renew the fair's offer, to think about possible internationalisation. The government has given us additional resources to go abroad and we are investigating the hypothesis of taking Pitti Uomo to meet clients".