Fabrics, the challenge at Milano Unica is to revive exports

The current edition of Milano Unica, the trade fair dedicated to textiles and accessories that runs until tomorrow at the Rho Fiera, explains very well the double speed of evaluation that fashion entrepreneurs are forced to undergo - and that is further complicating decisions -: while uncertainty reigns supreme in the world on several fronts - from possible peace agreements to tariffs against the USA - on the stands of the 735 companies that are present at this 41st edition, they are evaluating the novelties and proposals for autumn-winter 2026-27, which will arrive in shops in about a year's time.

The companies, however, are not discouraged: the edition sets a record both in terms of exhibition area (+3.3%) and number of exhibitors, with an 8.7% increase in European exhibitors taking part in the Ideabiella, Moda In and Shirt Avenue shows (which, overall, including Italians, number 584: +2.6% on the previous edition). "Milano Unica records a record number of exhibitors and square metres of floor space," confirms a satisfied Simone Canclini, president of the event, "but there are expectations that unfortunately have not been fulfilled: the recovery in the second half of 2025, slowed down by geopolitical issues, and also the final publication of the decree on the textile EPR (the responsibility extended to the producer, ed.) that would have brought important investments in the sector. We need a new industrial policy for fashion in Italy'. A topic that will certainly be discussed at the Fashion Table announced for 22 July in Rome.

After a negative 2024, with turnover down 8.8% and exports down -10.7%, the trend in the weaving industry is still critical: according to data processed by the Economic and Statistical Studies Office of Confindustria Moda, in the first quarter of 2025 the production of woven fabrics is down -6.9%, while that of knitted fabrics is up +11%. Exports are still down by -2.3%, compared to Q1 2024, but with a swinging trend depending on the product categories considered. While exports of woolen and knitted fabrics are down, those of cotton, linen and silk are growing. "Milano Unica," commented Matteo Zoppas, president of Ice, "is an important moment for the sector's exports. Fashion is going through a period of great uncertainty, the drop in exports worries us and this is why we continue to invest resources in the sector. At Milano Unica, for example, we brought 110 buyers from key countries'.

Geographically, sales to European countries fell by 5%, while those to non-EU markets were stable, despite the negative figure for China (-16.5%). The US bucked the trend: in the quarter preceding Liberation Day on 2 April, undoubtedly due to the desire to stock up before the application of the new tariffs, the increase was +18.4%. Italy also increased its imports between January and March, with a peak of +40% in imports from China.

The upstream of the supply chain reflects a crisis that has now spread to the brands as well, albeit in an uneven manner: "The luxury market is not doing well and will end the year in the negative," said Claudia D'Arpizio, senior partner at Bain&Co. "It is as if we were experiencing the 2008-2009 crisis again, but without a 'new China' to act as a counterweight and with the supply chain at risk. However, the fact that there are large discrepancies between the performance of brands means that consumers are making choices'. Choices that companies also have to make: 'I think consumers have become allergic to what is expensive, while they will always respect an expensive product because they understand its value,' explained Edoardo Zegna, chief marketing, digital and sustainability officer of the Zegna Group. 'We do not perceive this disaffection because we have chosen to defend what makes us unique and not to become something we are not because we look at trends. It takes patience and persistence, but if you are not authentic today you are easily unmasked'.