Italian textiles generated revenues of 577mn euros, growth by 4.8pc in first half of 2014

Italian textiles in the first half of 2014 witnessed growth by 4.8 percent, organizers of Europe’s top showcase for textile and accessories, during the ongoing Italian Trade Show, Milano Unica running in Italy’s fashion capital Milan said.

Textiles, excluding knitted fabrics, registered a 7.6-percent increase on average in the January-June period.

Exports of Italian textiles performed positively, rising 4.2 percent in the first four months of this year, while imports grew further posting 7.5 percent increase.

In the January-April period, the trade balance of Italian textiles generated revenues of 577 million euros (746 million U.S. dollars), slightly up against the value registered in the same months last year.

Exports of textiles destined to 28 EU member countries in the January-April period grew by 8.2 percent, accounting for 55.3 percent of total exports, while exports to other countries decreased except only for the positive performance of the U.S. market.

Regarding the foreign textiles sourcing market, in the first four months of this year China confirmed its leadership as key supplier for Italian businesses with a 26.3-percent increase on total textile imports, organizers noted.

President of Milano Unica Silvio Albini at the fair’s opening press conference on Tuesday said that there are businesses in the industry which have not just survived, but have grown increasingly successful in the world.

Investments in technology, product, quality, service improvement, delivery time and reliability, as well as a focus on new professional profiles who, in addition to knowing different languages and managing contacts with buyers, also have the skills to analyze the evolution of business models, were among the necessary ingredients for success.

Milano Unica, which on Oct. 20-23 will also run in China’s Shanghai, showcased the fall/winter 2015-2016 textile collections and accessories of 410 exhibitors exclusively Italian and European.

However, the fair’s 19th edition also hosted a new initiative, the Japan Observatory, representing the Asian country’s manufacturing excellence.
It is necessary to create new bridges, new visions, to search for opportunities to enhance the Italian national intrinsic values. Positive trends are also expected for the second half of 2014.