“We need an industrial plan” was the appeal that resounded during the 2025 Italian Leather Goods Industry Conference

“Our global leadership cannot be taken for granted,” said Claudia Sequi, President of Assopellettieri. “Structural interventions and a real shared industrial policy are needed to ensure that we maintain this leadership in the future.” This is the message, the strong and decisive appeal that closed the morning’s work at the fifth edition of The General Assembly of Italian Leather Goods, organised by Assopellettieri – the association representing Italian leather goods companies, a member of Confindustria and Confindustria Accessori Moda – in partnership with The European House – Ambrosetti and co-promoted by the Municipality of Florence.

The solemn Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio in Florence hosted the many Italian operators in the leather goods sector who, together, in 2024, achieved a turnover of over €12 billion and one of the most active trade balances in Europe (albeit down on the previous year, -9%). With these figures, Italian leather goods confirm their status as a strategic pillar of Made in Italy. Italy is now the world’s second largest exporter after China, thanks to a widespread, competitive and highly distinctive production model. But to maintain this central role in the market, excellence is not enough. Italy needs to work, and it needs to do so quickly, on a serious and forward-looking industrial plan that supports Italian leather goods in a world that is constantly undergoing destabilising changes, as explained by Dario Fabbri, editor-in-chief of the magazine Domino. His accurate reading of the geopolitical scenario clarified how the current tariff conflict is due to the attempt to gain hegemony over maritime trade, which accounts for 96% of goods in transit worldwide. It is a tariff war whose economic repercussions on Italian manufacturing are difficult to imagine.

In a video message, Adolfo Urso, Italian Minister for Enterprise and Made in Italy, reiterated the importance of the leather goods sector for the national economy, emphasising the need for all players in the supply chain to work together. He also introduced some of the important topics discussed in the morning: training, supply chain adaptation, protectionism, unfair competition from certain countries, and the adoption of enabling technologies. He recalled how “the Italian Ministry has defined measures worth approximately €250 million in favour of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the fashion sector. Of these, €100 million are dedicated to supporting the development of business clusters, which are so important in order to face the challenges of the global market.” Urso also recalled the government’s commitment to enhancing the value of specialised skills that are increasingly difficult to find, through new training courses and by promoting the attractiveness of manufacturing jobs: “Only 20% of the workforce in the sector is made up of young people under the age of 30. This trend must be reversed. We are also taking steps to encourage the transfer of know-how between generations by incentivising the recruitment of young people under the age of 35.”

The highlight of the 2025 edition was the official presentation of the new Strategic Study on the Italian leather goods sector, the result of a joint effort between TEHA, Assopellettieri and a six-person Steering Committee representing the three core elements of the Italian leather goods sector: brands, large manufacturers and SMEs with their own brands.

The first part of the study provides a detailed overview of the sector, confirming Italy’s leadership in high-end leather goods: with 4, 532 active companies, approximately 49,000 employees and a turnover of €12 billion in 2024, Italy is the leading European manufacturer, accounting for 47% of the continent’s turnover. This leadership has been achieved over time thanks to a cohesive and high-performing entrepreneurial network, structured in industrial districts that promote quality, flexibility and a high degree of integration between the various stages of the supply chain; however, this leadership must be defended and sustained.

The research was presented by Flavio Sciuccati, Senior Partner at The European House – Ambrosetti. His speech clearly outlined the fragility and potential of the sector. Looking to the future, he issued a clear warning: “We have a system that is unique in the world, but we are not good enough at communicating this. If we do not strengthen our leadership and attractiveness, we risk losing it.” His words accompanied the figures in the report, stimulating collective reflection on the urgent need to work together and emphasising the need to strengthen the competitiveness and attractiveness of the system as a whole, promoting a model of cooperation throughout the supply chain that is capable of enhancing the complementarity between large groups, SMEs and suppliers.

However, it is in the second part of the report that the Association’s strategic proposal for the future is clearly outlined. A handbook divided into six operational recommendations for the sector and, at the same time, an appeal to the institutions to address the current challenges with effective tools and to strengthen and consolidate the international leadership of Made in Italy. 

The first recommendation calls for the promotion of economic sustainability throughout the supply chain through dedicated tax measures, incentives for growth and stability, and a more equitable distribution of value. This is followed by a call to build a pact of legality and transparency, strengthening traceability tools, but also regulatory and contractual compliance, in order to generate trust and reduce distortions. The third recommendation is to focus on environmental and social sustainability as a distinctive feature of Made in Italy, in order to strengthen the sector’s image on international markets.

There is also a need to attract and train new talent, building a shared narrative that values technical and craft skills, promoting collaboration with training institutions and encouraging the integration of foreign workers.

Equally central is the theme of craft innovation: it is not a question of replacing manual knowledge, but of complementing it with advanced technologies, digitalisation and human-machine interaction to improve quality, traceability and the attractiveness of work.

Finally, the association focuses on strengthening internationalisation, calling for support for companies in tapping into new markets, simplifying access to export financing tools and consolidating the strategic role of trade fairs as platforms for visibility.

Among the highlights of the morning was the round table on the future of the sector, which addressed major issues such as sustainability, technological innovation, internationalisation, training and attraction. Speakers included Yoann Regent of Bottega Veneta, Massimo Giardiello (MADE Competence Centre), Enrica Baccini of Fondazione Fiera Milano and Antonella Vitiello (MITA Academy).

In closing, Assopelletieri President Claudia Sequi reiterated: “Industrial policy can no longer be postponed and must be built together. We are ready and available,” and concluded with an appeal: “We need a clear agreement between trade associations and the government to ensure a solid future for a sector that is already a symbol of Made in Italy around the world.”