Arsutoria School and Istituto Secoli announce a new campus in Milan’s Certosa District, opening in the second half of 2026. These two Italian institutions, with over 90 years of history, announce the opening of their new Milan campus on Via Barrella, in the heart of the “Certosa District” project developed by RealStep. Starting in mid-2026, the institutions will share a modern campus, designed to house laboratories, research areas, and student living spaces.
Artificial Intelligence in the Arsutoria School’s Design Course: Tools, Methodology, and Student Experience
Speed up, amplify, and make the final project more readable. Valentino Parlato, coordinator of the Arsutoria School’s design courses, comments: “AI shortens time, but creativity and technique remain the human side of the work.” This is the vision that guides the school’s shoe and bag design courses: integrating advanced tools while maintaining a solid foundation in drawing, technical knowledge, and digitalization. It is from this core that AI becomes a true ally.
Arsutoria School and Newlast join forces for training in last design
Following the experience gained during 2025 at the Fermo ITS, which saw the launch of the first training course on lasts organized by Arsutoria in collaboration with Newlast, the Milanese school has decided to invest further resources in the extraordinary world of last design. The arrival of a next-generation 3D scanner marks a new step forward in training courses dedicated to lasts and soles.
The 51st edition confirmed its status as a strategic business platform, with over 7,000 visitors, approximately 49% of whom were international, and 25% of exhibitors from abroad.
The leading event for technology and machinery in the footwear, leather goods and tanning industries closed its 51st edition on 25 September at Fiera Milano Rho, confirming its status as the sector’s strategic platform of reference, capable of generating new connections and business opportunities at an international level: over 7,000 visitors, approximately 49% of whom were international, and 25% of exhibitors from around 20 countries. These results were made possible thanks to the valuable support of the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) and close collaboration with Lineapelle, which led to over 9,000 visitors attending both fairs.
“In a particularly difficult year, with a 12.8% decline in exports in the
first five months of 2025, our sector is showing solid resilience. Simac Tanning Tech is the place where Italian excellence is showcased, promoting technology transfer and collaboration on a global level. It is here that we show the world how our innovation can help build a more competitive and resilient production system.” commented Mauro Bergozza, President of Assomac.
The event is also an expression of the Italian footwear, leather goods and tanning machinery supply chain, which confirms its leadership and propensity for innovation and has maintained a substantially stable number of companies and employees in recent years. The sector, which has 225 active companies and exports worth €385 million, is unique in Europe, having been created and developed thanks to close collaboration between machinery manufacturers and manufacturing companies.
This result is all the more significant when considered in the context of a difficult overall situation, with the Italian footwear, leather goods and tanning machinery industry facing a critical phase from 2024 onwards.
Among the stands, a sector emerged that is embracing the digital transition with unprecedented concreteness, focusing on machinery capable of transforming production into a fluid and connected ecosystem.
The first major trend concerns Artificial Intelligence applied to vision. We are no longer talking about simple sensors, but about machines that ‘learn’. Advanced systems capable of recognising leather defects in a matter of seconds, classifying them and suggesting the optimal placement to drastically reduce waste. Cutting tables equipped with ‘superpowers’ have been presented: soon, operators will be able to interact with the software even through voice commands, combining irreplaceable artisan experience with the precision of the algorithm.
Robotics has taken a further step towards total flexibility. Automatic gluing and carding systems now adapt autonomously without the need for machine downtime or costly reprogramming. It is interconnected automation: platforms have been created that network data and operators, ensuring total traceability through RFID systems and integrated X-ray quality controls.
Sustainability is the other fundamental pillar. It manifests itself both in materials – with new recycled and bio-based polymers – and in processes. Chemical-physical expansion technologies for polyurethane allow for extreme lightness with unaltered performance, while the transition to fully electric machinery guarantees, in some cases, energy savings and the abandonment of hydrocarbons, in line with the Industry 5.0 philosophy.
Finally, attention to people closes the circle. From new cyclone extraction systems for cleaner air to machines designed to allow seated working, Simac 2025 tells us that technology is now the best ally for healthier, more precise and more environmentally friendly work.
The international event of reference in Europe and in the Mediterranean basin for the green, blue and circular economy, organized by Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), concluded on 7th November at the Rimini Fair , Reaffirming itself as a global hub for the ecological transition and marking growing indices in all respects.
There were, in fact, more than 800 hosted buyers and delegations from 65 countries and total presences grew by 7%, with a +10% of those abroad.Among the most represented markets are Spain, Turkey, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt. To complete the picture, some 90 international associations are involved. A network that, during the event, generated 3,800 business matching, encouraging cooperation and dissemination of best practices for ecological transition.
More than 1,700 exhibiting brands, of which 18% from abroad, present on the 166,000 mqof exhibition area
To highlight the centrality of Ecomondo was also the visitadel minister of environment and energy security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, who stressed : “We can be among the first countries in the world in the capacity for recycling. There’s a lot of talk about rare earths and critical raw materials, but the biggest deposit we have is our waste… And the ability to recycle is fully manifested in this fair, a symbol of innovation and sustainability”.
Ecomondo 2025 has confirmed itself as a privileged place of exchange between companies, research and professionals in the sector from all over the world, also thanks to the collaboration with Agenzia ICEe and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).
More than 200 meetings in four days, of which about 70 curated by the Scientific Technical Committee of Ecomondo, chaired by Professor Fabio Fava , have composed a dense program of initiatives, offering an updated reading of the green transition in a transversal way. Among the main themes: WEEE and critical raw materials, textile becoming circular, sustainable financialsupport of ecological transition, water management and blue economy, bioenergy, circular economy, AI applied to resource exploitation and data monitoring, Earth observation and the role of communication in overcoming the false dilemmas of ecological transition.
Strong focus on international cooperation and the green transition in the Mediterranean, as well as initiatives for access to clean and sustainable energy on the African continent, within the framework of the Mattei Plan and the “Mission 300” Programme, with the fifth edition of the Africa Green Growth Forum.
The 14th edition of the General States of the Green Economy has opened once again Ecomondo, with the presentation of the Report on the state of the green economy 2025, putting at the center of the debate the status and prospects of the European ecological transition in the new global context. The plenary session of the second day, for the first time entirely in English, further expanded the international scope of the event.
Innovation laboratory
At Ecomondo 2025, innovation was a bridge between science and market: the Innovation District gave space and visibility to 40 Italian and international startupwith high-tech content, of which 20 from Morocco and Tunisia,selected as part of the project Lab Innova for Africa “Luca Attanasio”, promoted by ICE Agency in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. In addition to the exhibition, Ecomondo presented the “Lorenzo Cagnoni” Award for Green Innovation to the seven exhibiting companies for the most advanced and promising technologies presented in the exhibition areas of the event.
The next appointment is from 3 to 6 November 2026, always at the fair of Rimini.
The world leader in open-cell foam insole technology, part of the Coats Group since October 2025, has announced the opening of a new factory in the province of Ninh Binh, in northern Vietnam. This key milestone marks a significant step forward in OrthoLite’s strategy to localize the entire product creation process from end to end while strengthening the company’s production capabilities to better support regional and global brand partners.
OrthoLite North Vietnam (ONV) is a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that catalyzes local-for-local production and service. OrthoLite’s commitment to the northern Vietnam region furthers its unique global vertical integration strategy and investment in its owned and operated facilities.
Led by Country Manager Michael Hsu, the new ONV facility offers local production which reduces lead times and enhances supply chain resilience. OrthoLite’s global quality standards ensure consistency and excellence across all foam formulations, assuring the highest standards while qualifying new programs, reducing waste, and launching advanced digital monitoring tools for transparency and reliability.
“The northern Vietnam region represents part of OrthoLite’s global production strategy to align our factories and provide efficient and exemplary service directly to our local partners and Tier 1 factories,” said Michael Hsu, country manager for OrthoLite North Vietnam. “With this strategic expansion, OrthoLite is well positioned to deliver high-performance comfort solutions locally for global brands.”
After the positive results of last October’s edition, the Spanish event returns as an essential meeting point for discovering new products dedicated to leather, components, materials, machinery and technologies applied to footwear and leather goods, as well as an opportunity to analyse the market, identify trends and generate new business opportunities. For its 55th edition, FUTURMODA presents its new logo, which emphasises a visual interpretation in which industrial innovation is the source of creativity. The central figure, surrounded by a floral explosion and bright colours, represents the concept of “blooming”, with machinery as the seed of every idea and aesthetics as the fruit of the production process. The campaign thus reinforces the role of machinery as a strategic element in the value chain and ties in with the presentation of the spring-summer 2027 trends, which will be the focus of this edition.
With its new logo, FUTURMODA invites manufacturers, brands, designers, engineers and suppliers to participate in a professional meeting that will continue to promote innovation, sustainability and internationalisation in the footwear industry.
We would like to remind you that the October edition saw the participation of 323 companies, including manufacturers from Spain, Italy, Portugal and other markets, and over 4,500 professional visitors, including designers, manufacturers, technicians, purchasing managers and international agents. There were 36 new exhibiting companies, confirming the fair’s ability to consistently attract industrial talent and innovative proposals.
“A fashion supply chain built on the intelligent reuse of waste materials. With the RE49 Wave sneaker, the company demonstrates that sustainability and style can evolve together‘: with this motivation, the Udine-based brand won the ’2025 Innovation Award” presented by Stampa Estera Milano (SEMI), which brings together more than 100 journalists from 118 publications in 25 different countries. This award recognises the brand’s sustainable vision of transforming authentic materials into responsible design through sustainability, creativity and manufacturing.
RE49 stands for RE-turn to 19–49: a return to the origins and a reminder of the value of recycling and the circular economy, which are now fundamental to the future of the planet. RE also stands for Recycle, Reuse, Reduce. The RE49 journey began in 1949, when Valentino Masolini, a shoemaker from Friuli, began transforming old military uniforms into durable shoes, and continues today with the new generations in the company.
In particular, the Wave model is made from selected recycled materials and designed to offer comfort, resistance and durability. Wave is a tribute to the ocean, with a sole that echoes the waves of the sea and an upper made from recycled sailcloth. Details in Apple Skin, an innovative material obtained from apple processing waste, add a natural and eco-sustainable touch, while the interior is designed with breathable and soft fabrics derived from regenerated fibres. The sole, made from natural rubber and recycled materials, ensures optimal grip and long life for the shoe.
Successor to Stahl’s wet end division, Muno officially launches its business as a new independent company active in tanning chemicals, backed by solid roots in the sector. Headquartered in Milan, the company presents itself as a leader in innovative solutions for wet end processes in leather production.
“Muno starts from a solid international industrial platform, which includes over 450 employees, 20 laboratories and sales offices in key markets, as well as production facilities and R&D centers in Italy and India,” reads a company statement.
The product portfolio covers the entire wet-end process, from beamhouse to tanning, retanning to fatliquoring, dyeing to waterproofing, serving customers in more than 60 countries in the footwear, automotive, furniture, and leather goods sectors.
The choice of Milan as its headquarters “underlines the strategic importance of Italy for Muno. The company intends to invest in the Italian leather supply chain, focusing on skills development, applied research, and long-lasting partnerships with customers and industrial partners to support sustainable growth in the medium to long term.”
Xavier Rafols
These objectives were emphasized by the company’s CEO, Xavier Rafols: “Muno was born out of a strong industrial heritage and a clear growth strategy. Our Milan headquarters reflects our commitment to the Italian leather supply chain, combining technical expertise, operational discipline, and innovation to create lasting value for our customers and the entire industry.”
Innovation and sustainability are at the heart of Muno’s business model: approximately 70% of R&D projects are dedicated to environmental sustainability, while 98% of the product portfolio complies with ZDHC standards. All production sites operate according to certified quality and environmental standards, with a strong focus on regulatory compliance.
The International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies (IULTCS) has appointed Geoff Holmes as its new President for the two-year period 2026–2027. Holmes has worked for over twenty years at the New Zealand Leather and Shoe Research Association (LASRA), the New Zealand leather and footwear research association, where he is currently Director.
Geoff Holmes
In his inaugural message, the new President of the international body, which brings together around 3,000 chemists and leather researchers from 25 different national associations, described the role as an honor and a great responsibility, reiterating the central role of national associations in ensuring the strength and credibility of the IULTCS globally. According to Holmes, training, scientific research, publications, communication, and promotion of the tanning industry remain the pillars of the Union’s activity.
Holmes thanked outgoing President Dr. Joan Carles Castell for his contribution, particularly in the field of ISO and CEN standardization, and welcomed new Vice President Dr. Giancarlo Lovato. Looking ahead, Geoff emphasized the importance of open and scientifically rigorous debate to maintain the IULTCS as an authoritative and forward-looking voice.
At the recent Simac trade fair in Milan, Zünd, together with its partners Mind and Mindhive Global, presented the Dectura workflow, which makes leather detection, classification and cutting even more precise, faster and more reliable in a fully interconnected system. The trade fair visitors were able to witness the interaction between AI, machine vision and digital cutting systems live at the fair.
Until now, the evaluation and qualification of leather has been a critical process, mainly manual, subject to errors and often with inconsistent results.
With Dectura, leading technology companies – Zünd, Mind and Mindhive Global – present an innovation that revolutionises leather cutting. Thanks to artificial intelligence, image-based quality control, the most advanced nesting and cutting software and powerful digital cutting systems, Dectura guarantees a highly automated and standardised process.
The leather processing line essentially consists of Mindhive FinishSelect″, which, with the help of AI, is able to capture, evaluate and measure leathers in just a few seconds, then using the MindCUT software developed by Portuguese partner Mind and the digital cutting technology of the Zünd cutter.
For leather processing companies, Dectura represents a quantum leap towards intelligent, data-driven processes that are perfectly reproducible and fully integrated digitally, with consistent quality over time.
