Italian fashion companies soar in Japan, ICE reports

(AGI) Rome, July 3 - In the first six months of 2016, Italian exports in clothing, leather goods, and footwear reasserted the excellent results from 2015 in Japan, Italy's 8th sales market and 2nd largest in the Asian area. Italy is the leader in Japan's import quotas for leather clothing (28 percent) and footwear (28.9 percent), and second for leather goods (18.5 percent). The data was provided by the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) on the day of the inauguration in Tokyo of the 49th edition of "Italian Fashion" (Moda Italia) and 59th edition of "Shoes From Italy", with 167 Italian companies from the clothing sector (54), leather goods (46), and footwear (67) presenting their Spring-Summer collections for 2017. With a history dating back over a quarter-century, during which "Italian Fashion" and "Shoes From Italy" were merged into a single event, the autonomous exhibition will be open to the public from today till Thursday, July 7. It will be held in the exclusive setting of the Belle Salle Shibuya Garden exhibition centre, the seat of numerous prestigious fashion events. Organised by the ICE twice a year, the autonomous exhibition is the only exclusively Italian fashion show in Japan. It also provides Japanese operators with a preview of Italian fashion in the shape of a total look. With an unmissable chance to spot the latest trends in clothing, leather goods, and footwear, the exhibition's purpose is to consolidate the presence of Italian businesses in Asia and launch new brands. Newcomer businesses were a constant presence in the latest editions, making up 15 to 20 percent of the total. In the last few years, Italian style and elegance has been appreciated the world over and has garnered an increasing success in the Land of the Rising Sun. Today, Italy is the leading non-Asian clothing supplier in Japan - a refined market with an eye for new trends and novelties in the fashion sector, and a fertile territory for new brands. The ICE, in its task to support Italian businesses in the internationalisation process, organises such events to promote Italy's points of excellence on the Oriental market, strengthen relations with buyers, and consolidate the image of Made in Italy merchandise. In this respect, the ICE has invited a delegation of 40 buyers to Tokyo from South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Australia, and has also created a website for the exhibitions in Japanese to facilitate interactions with the host country. (AGI). .