PITTI FILATI HERALDS THE RECOVERY.
THE EXCELLENCE OF INTERNATIONAL YARN MANUFACTURING
LOOKS TOWARDS FUTURE SEASONS WITH OPTIMISM

Pitti Immagine Filati n.66 (Florence, 27 – 29 January 2010) is coming to an end with figures and opinions – from buyers and exhibitors – that display optimism about a recovery over the next few months.  Just a few hours before the event closed its doors at the Fortezza da Basso, early forecasts of the final attendance figures showed that Pitti Immagine Filati was attended by almost 4,000 buyers (versus 3,900 in January 2009), a 2% increase in overall attendance.  It appears that the number of Italian buyers increased by 4.5%, whereas foreign attendance figures remained at the same levels recorded for the last edition.  There was a rise in the number of buyers from the United States, Russia, Holland, Switzerland, Turkey, China, Hong Kong and South Korea, whilst the figures were less positive for Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan.

“This edition of Pitti Filati is coming to an end in a climate of great confidence,” says Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine.  “After the difficult results registered for the yarn industry in 2009, the outlook is very good for our companies in the spring-summer 2011 season.  All the most important buyers came to the Fortezza and the exhibitors were able to meet with fashion designers and representatives of style bureaus from all the top international companies and knitting mills.  There was a real desire for substance: in terms of the interesting innovations in yarn research proposed as well as the orders made for next season’s production.  The positive outcome of the second edition of Prima Moda Tessuto was further proof that the combination and synergy with fabrics really works and constitutes an extra service for the international buyers who come to Florence.  Pitti Filati acts as a barometer for the fashion market, and the first positive signs are now coming out of the Fortezza”.

We collected some comments from buyers attending this edition of Pitti Filati:

“I found some innovative and interesting ideas even amongst the more classical yarns.  For me, this is a clear sign that companies are making a huge effort to propose new products and launch them on the market”.
Sami Tillouche, free lance consultant for Lanvin and Cacharel (France).

“We really liked the new Spazio Ricerca: the idea of the “NO” concept, the provocative denial of everything that takes us away from authenticity, was truly original and exciting”.
Elena Grinina, from the Russian production and distribution group, Zolotoye Runo (Russia).

“I didn’t have very high expectations at the outset, but I found a really energetic Pitti Filati and lots of enthusiasm from both companies and buyers.  I also appreciated the hard work the exhibitors had put into presenting their new collections”.
Renzo Perin, knitwear style bureau for the Stefanel Group