The February trade fairs dedicated to accessory-fashion – MICAM Milano, MIPEL, TheOne Milano and Milano Fashion&Jewels – closed with results described as “satisfactory” in the editions that preceded Milan Fashion Week.
With a total of 40,449 trade visitors, 45% of whom were foreigners, from 127 countries including Japan, China, France, Spain, Germany, Greece and Turkey, the four events confirmed numbers in line with the previous edition and relaunched the variety of styles and trends in accessories.
Despite a complex economic framework, both for the domestic and international markets, the four appointments presented the proposals of 1,758 brands, 46% of which came from 51 different countries, demonstrating the strength of the trade fair instrument in creating concrete business opportunities, which the synergic contemporaneity of the events further enhanced.
Certifying the importance of trade fairs and especially of the sectors that animate them, Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that fashion, as a whole, is a key sector for Italy’s economic and employment development, thanks to the contribution of the excellence of Made in Italy, represented both by large groups and by small and medium-sized enterprises and artisans, who combine innovation, technology and tradition. He also confirmed that the government considers support for businesses a priority and promotes initiatives such as the Fashion Days in strategic countries.
In the innovations on show at this year’s events, there was no lack of attention to the tradition of craftsmanship, oriented towards excellence through contemporary ideas, such as new materials and sustainable processing. There were also training moments, such as the MICAM Academy, a space dedicated to training young people to make them aware of the new professions in the footwear sector and allow school students to discover how savoir faire can be combined with new technologies. The area, developed through five stations, was realised in collaboration with the Politecnico Calzaturiero del Veneto and Arsutoria School in Milan, involving cutting-edge companies such as Snapfeet, Prismatech, Sneaknit, Direct 3D and VCS.
For more than a year, Joan Carles Castell has chaired the International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies, better known as IULTCS, the international body that brings together national chemical tanning associations and promotes cooperation and the exchange of technical and scientific knowledge among its members. An activity that culminates in the organization of the International Congress dedicated to the presentation of the latest innovations in the industry, which is held every two years in a different country. The last one was held in Chengdu, China, in 2023. The next one will be in Europe, specifically in Lyon, France, in September 2025.
Joan Carles Castell is chairman of IULTCS
One year into your term as IULTCS chairman, what is your assessment?
“All objectives were achieved successfully thanks to the support of a great team that committed to help IULTCS towards a more dynamic institution and reviewing most of the activities to become more relevant for the leather industry. Let’s summarize:
* Update and approval of revised Statutes by the Assembly.
* Renovation of the commission chairmen.
* Creation of the new Sustainability Commission.
* IULTCS reviewed with ISO the roles and procedures for the standardization of test methods on leather and chemicals.
* Revision of the Vienna Agreement between ISO and CEN and the parallel working commissions for the standardization of test methos on leather and chemicals.
* Reinforce communication between the IULTCS members and launch of the ‘Newsleather’.
* During 2024 we gladly welcome two new prestigious supporting members recognizing and enhancing the IULTCS activities and the importance of science and technology through the leather value chain”.
What are the main goals for 2025?
“Always, the main objective of IULTCS is to be a forum to exchange technical knowledge to sustain the leather industry with the most advanced science and technology. 2025 is plenty of challenges for the leather industry requiring technical support and increasing demands to revise and update best practices in production, environment, safety, traceability among many others. Additionally, leather is threatened with other materials claiming they are more natural and environmentally friendly.
Each of the IULTCS commission actively works towards those goals and update their activities in every area. The new chairmen already started with the review of their members representing all of the Associations and during their global meetings each one informs on specific issues affecting their local tanneries and leather industry.
In 2024 we created the Sustainability Commission (IUS) with the mission of exchanging relevant data and information from advanced studies and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) applied to the leather industries. It is our goal the success of this commission.
The role of the Committee Manager of the ISO/IULTCS is crucial for coordinating and leading the standard development of test methos for leather at a global level. This function is going to be included in the Executive Committee with voting rights.
The leather industry has global challenges. Among Councils of Tanners, there are several organizations, associations, foundations that focus on defending, promoting, auditing and regulating leather and leather manufactures. They also cover several markets like footwear, automobiles, home upholstery, luxury goods, fashion, just to mention a few of them. An IULTCS goal is to maintain relationships with all these parties and enhance potential synergies to assure the need and interest of promoting this unique and irreplaceable material provided by nature.
And, of course, the major objective for IULTCS in 2025 is the celebration of the XXXVIII IULTCS Congress in Lyon. Our French Association, AFICTIC, is working hard and progressing in the organization according to the schedules to assure a great succes”.
Regarding the Lyon Congress, what is new and what expectations do you have in terms of participation?
“Beyond leather tradition, innovation and sustainability” is the leitmotiv of the XXXVIII IULTCS Congress in Lyon. The city of Lyon represents the three values as historically it has been connected to the leather industry, pioneered the education of leather technology and it is the headquarters prestigious technology center, CTC, specialized in footwear and leather with recognized global services in inspection, testing, consulting and training, including fashion.
Currently the organization is working on the promotion of the Congress and has already called for sponsorship and submission of papers just started. Therefore, we cannot be precise about the participation yet, but the expectations are above 350 delegates from all around the world”.
2024 was a very difficult year for the leather industry. How do you see the situation for the near future?
“I would like to accurate the expression ‘very difficult year’ because after more than 50 years involved in the leather industry, I do not remember an ‘easy year’. Also, because the leather industry is global and supplies many industries and market segments, with different needs and levels of exigencies.
Certainly, there were a lot of concerns during last year. Some tanners suffered from a weaker demand while others increased production and worked at full capacity.
Overall, I see a great future for the leather industry if it can accept the increasing complexity and demands from the market. I understand that this is not so simple and always the market is ‘difficult’. History is the science that shows the continuous success of human events from the past to the present. Leather long history is not an exception, and it is plenty of successful evolution. And why not the future?
Perhaps beyond the great demands that require a tremendous effort in our daily work, we must raise our sights so that it also provides us with signs of opportunities. As long as meat is a source of protein for humans, we will have a raw material that must be treated so as not to generate undesirable waste. Being a natural material whose exceptional properties have been exploited throughout the history of humanity, which contributes to the decarbonization and sustainability of the planet and which is a clear example for the circular economy, there can be no doubt about its future. Obstacles will not be lacking. But with a job well done, adapting the best practices both in production and in the environment and fighting together so that the consumer understands the importance of this industry, I can only have a positive vision of the industry”.
The city of Lyon will host the 38th IULTCS Congress from September 8 to 11, 2025
Leather Working Group (LWG) has recently published its Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study aimed at providing accurate and updated insights into the environmental impact of leather production, supporting stakeholders in reducing environmental footprints and making informed decisions. “Our primary goal is to help stakeholders reduce environmental footprints and make informed, sustainable decisions” explain from the British organization that today presents itself as “a global multi-stakeholder community, working to create meaningful change across the global leather supply chain”. The analysis evaluates the environmental impact of producing one square meter (1m²) of finished leather, with additional metrics available per kilogram. It examines key impact categories, including Global Warming Potential, Eutrophication, Abiotic Depletion, Water Use, Freshwater Ecotoxicity, and Water Consumption. Conducted by Spin 360, the LWG LCA delivers a comprehensive assessment of leather production, spanning 50 distinct products across six product families. These include chrome-tanned and glutaraldehyde-tanned leathers used in footwear, furniture, leather goods, and automotive upholstery. The analysis covers the entire production process—from raw material sourcing to finished leather manufacturing— and incorporates globally sourced data. The LWG LCA outlines actionable measures to improve the environmental credentials of leather production, emphasising a holistic approach to mitigating adverse impacts. It is expected that LWG-certified leather manufacturers will utilise this data to minimise their environmental footprint. “Meanwhile, brands and retailers can use these insights to make informed sourcing decisions and advance their sustainability goals”.
It is with the belief that true progress comes from the ability to connect the functionality of products and the sensations they manage to convey, that FGL International has come up with Liveround V. A next-generation amphoteric filler retanning biopolymer that contains about 25 percent carbon from biological sources derived from renewable raw materials. It is not just a new chemical solution, but a new way of interpreting the very concept of innovation in the tanning process. Liveround was designed to answer a clear challenge: How can we offer a solution that goes beyond traditional chemistry and transforms the end-product experience? This is where Liveround stands out: not only does it combine several functions typical of polymers, but it does so with a future-oriented approach, incorporating significant bio-based content. This makes it possible to create leathers with a texture and feel unmatched by conventional methods. Hence the choice of name: the suffix “Live” recalls the concept of life, sensation and environmental impact; while “round” evokes the roundness that the product uniquely imparts to the leather. Liveround V is a retanning agent specially designed for the treatment of cow hides or sheep skins with open and relaxed structure. Hides treated with Liveround V exhibit good fullness and roundness, with a firm and compact grain. Because of these properties, it is possible to partially or totally replace common phenolic and disulfonic synthetic tannins and plant extracts in wetblue and wetwhite retanning. Liveround V is completely free of formaldehyde and bisphenols and can be used in combination with other products in the “LIVE” range to produce items with a high bio-based content.
Rooted in functionality and timeless design, Birkenstock’s closed shoe collection reaffirms the brand’s commitment to natural walking. Honouring the evolution of Birkenstock’s centuries of footwear expertise, built on the orthopaedic principles of the legendary footbed, the shoe collection offers precisely engineered support to the wearer.
Born from a blend of traditional craftsmanship and innovation, this shoe collection is made from premium materials and designed to perform in everyday environments and beyond. The brand’s footwear line is under the footbed-first philosophy, and combines biomechanics, care in design and premium materials to create truly high-performance shoes. The taupe colour in which the shoes are available reflects a solid and timeless aesthetic.
The collection’s flagship models, Highwood Low Lace and Utti, are built around the Deep Blue Footbed, while the Birkenstock Bend Decon and Pasadena feature the original cork and latex footbed for lightweight flexibility. The multi-layered structure of the Deep Blue Footbed helps reduce tension, supports stability and allows natural walking motion, making the shoes perfect for all-day wear. The anatomical transverse arch supports the midfoot, providing stability and relieving pressure on the sole. The medial longitudinal arch supports the inner arch of the foot and prevents it from sagging, while the lateral longitudinal arch supports the outer arch for improved stability of the foot from heel to midfoot. Finally, the deep heel cup provides stability, support and better balance with every step.
MICAM and Milano Moda Donna in February 2025 were the occasion to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the birth of the great Spanish couturier at Palazzo Morando in Milan.
«A couturier must be an architect for form, a painter for colour, a musician for harmony and a philosopher for measure». In the words of Cristóbal Balenciaga himself, we find the essence of his creativity and of what can rightly be called art. Art of constructing a dress by combining all these elements. An art that has allowed Balenciaga’s creativity to be a timeless benchmark. A continuous inspiration.
From a dialogue between Cristóbal Balenciaga’s DNA and the contemporary creativity of the Spanish footwear industry, the project of the Milan exhibition “CRISTÓBAL BALENCIAGA | Shoes from Spain Tribute”, of which he is organiser and curator, was born in the mind and will of Javier Echeverría Sola.
The project is promoted by the Federation of Spanish Footwear Industries (FICE) and, in particular, its president Rosana Perán, who is also president of the European Footwear Confederation (CEC) and vice-president of the Pikolinos group.
«This exhibition is a dialogue between the values of creativity, quality, excellence, know-how and innovation that defined the Haute Couture ateliers of master Cristóbal Balenciaga. Values that are still alive today in the craftsmanship of our shoe companies – as we like to say, travelling from tradition to innovation», says Rosana Perán.
Cristóbal Balenciaga is known for his revolutionary approach to the female silhouette. With this in mind, FICE decided to create an exhibition that would bring together two realities of Spanish DNA – the myth of the great couturier and the most brilliant exponents of the Spanish footwear industry today. The exhibition was therefore the bridge to present the tradition of Marca España in Milan, the prestigious world fashion capital and symbol of Made in Italy.
Twenty-five models by Cristóbal Balenciaga were presented, in an unprecedented exhibition, from museum and private collections. These were matched with a series of shoes, made by an equal number of Spanish brands, carefully selected by a professional jury. Exemplary in this context was the archive material, which included newspapers and photographs from the couturier’s decades of activity.
The shoes, made exclusively for this event, were produced by 25 Spanish companies, which are part of the more than 400 companies represented by the Federation of Spanish Footwear Industries (FICE), which brings together around 90% of the national footwear production: Alhamas, Alohas, Casteller, Chie Mihara, Creaciones S. W., De Flores Y Floreros, Flabelus, Gaimo, Hispanitas, Kanna, Lottusse, Magnanni, Magrit, Martinelli, Mascaró, Pedro Garcia, Pedro Miralles, Pertini, Pikolinos, Pitillos, Pons Quintana, Pretty Ballerinas, Ras, Ria Menorca and Zinda.
Acquasparta is the result of careful research by Elena Mercantini, the brand’s soul and CEO. Her economic and financial background and love for the fashion world led her to acquire the historic D’Acquasparta brand, one of the first companies to have made trainers in Italy and from which the new Acquasparta was born, revised in a modern key by a team of designers who have created models with a lighter and trendier taste, while still respecting the roots, philosophy and values of the past linked to the brand’s historicity. Made by a cutting-edge company in the heart of the Marche region, Acquasparta footwear proposes a new style that exalts the most authentic Italian craftsmanship tradition in support of the territory, promoting Made in Italy in total respect for the environment.
The first new line of trainers, symbolically called La Fenice (The Phoenix), proposes a collection of super-exclusive sneakers, almost unique pieces, witnesses of a new contemporary glamour and whispered luxury, without excesses, designed for those who love to stand out with elegance and refinement. Just one model, in many declinations of colours, combinations and materials. The most representative shoe in the collection is the Fenice 621 The Icon: made of white calfskin with contrasts in suede in Acquasparta burgundy and natural cowhide, and rich in precious details, all again in Acquasparta burgundy.
‘The time has come for politics to give the right answers to the fashion sector. The right answers to our artisans for what they do with their hands, their head, their heart. And for what they create, the pride of Made in Italy all over the world,’ said CNA national president Dario Costantini speaking at the “Dialogue on the fashion sector” held in Rome in the CNA auditorium on 12 March. Costantini emphasised the specific weight of artisans and small businesses in the country’s system and highlighted their role in innovation as well, pointing out, for example, that one third of small businesses use artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, the laws are not adapted to the changing reality and the framework law on craftsmanship dates back over forty years.
The national president of the CNA then highlighted the energy problem: ‘We do not like the energy decree,’ he reiterated, ‘which excludes more than one million companies from the bill cuts because they have an installed power of less than 16.5kW. Businesses that already find themselves paying many tens of points more for energy than their European competitors’. And we do not like ‘that camouflaged tax represented by insurance contracts covering damage to property directly caused by natural disasters and catastrophic events. Not only does this measure in several cases fail to protect against the consequences of disasters, but in one month it requires almost four million companies to take out particularly complex policies, with respect to which operating procedures were only provided at the end of February’.
The two-year period 2023/2024 was very tough for the fashion industry, which lost 9.7% added value against -1.9% for the manufacturing sector and reduced its workforce by 3%. The bad patch has actually been going on since well before that, it burst more than fifteen years ago, at the time of the financial bubble.
It is difficult to make predictions at such a complex time from a geopolitical and economic point of view. Certainly, to try to imagine a desirable future for the sector, one must take into account certain negative elements. Fashion is a labour-intensive sector (and therefore with low margins), it suffers from a high presence of irregular activities, it is faced with the progressive ageing of the Italian population which weakens the domestic market. But there are also some strengths of the sector on which to build. The appreciation for Italian professionalism is global, especially for the high end and higher added value. The duties announced by the US are frightening, but on the other hand, exports to other important areas of the world, from Asia to the Gulf countries, are growing.
‘Italian fashion has a future and continuity,’ said the president of CNA Federmoda, Marco Landi, ‘we remain Europe’s manufacturing industry in terms of quality production, we must preserve this heritage. Italian companies can continue to be protagonists on international markets. To do so, they must be put in a position to invest. We therefore call for an industrial policy that allows this. Today we also need support on the liquidity front, so we call for measures for a credit policy to support the Italian fashion system’.
Assomac renews its commitment to promoting Italian leather, footwear and leather goods processing technology on international markets through the ‘Assomac Around the World’ programme. The initiative, dedicated to strengthening the internationalisation process of companies in the sector, joins the promotional strategy and activities implemented by the ITA Agency, communicating the value of the Italian sector in the main world markets. In the first half of 2025, the Confindustria association will be present at the most important trade fairs, offering member companies the opportunity to present their technologies and develop new collaborations
After the first appointment at the India International Leather Fair (IILF) in Chennai, held from 1 to 3 February, the tour continued in Milan, where Lineapelle, a reference event for the global leather and fashion industry, was held until 27 February. March was then the turn of the APLF in Hong Kong (12-14 March), followed by the Mega Leather Show in Pakistan (11-13 April).
India emerges as a strategic market, with a 17 billion euros leather sector and Italian machinery exports growing by 42.15%, while in Hong Kong, Italy confirms its leadership in the supply of components for tanning machinery and in Pakistan the Mega Leather Show offers new opportunities in a rapidly evolving $874 million market.
Assomac at IILFAssomac at LineapelleItalian companies at APLF
ANPIC – one of the most important international trade fairs for the leather, footwear and leather goods industry and with over 45 years of experience – marked a milestone in its evolution by putting design and fashion at the centre of its spring-summer 2025 edition with the MUSA Design Fest.
Fernando Padilla Padilla, president of APIMEX, emphasised the importance of this transformation, highlighting that ANPIC no longer seeks just to stay in the market, but to lead it, set new trends and project Mexico as a leader in global innovation. ‘The offer is driving the trends. Our exhibitors are the true agents of change, who through materials such as leather, fabrics, synthetics, laces, buckles, hats and more, define the identity of the manufacturers,’ said Padilla Padilla.
The addition of the MUSA Design Fest aims to connect suppliers, designers and creatives, creating a unique space for collaboration, innovation and original product development and involves over 60 selected companies from sectors such as leather goods, footwear, hats, textiles, leather, furniture, interior design and technology.
A key element of MUSA Design Fest is the focus on trends for spring-summer 2026, enabling participants to anticipate, design and plan their business strategies. This trend preview will help designers and manufacturers stay ahead of the curve, aligning their products with what will shape the future of the industry.
The event will also feature lectures and insights on key topics such as the power of the digital community for brand positioning (Ale Vintage), new trends for spring-summer 2026 (Erick Pérez Sandi) and the sustainable future of leather in fashion (Karina Díaz, director of Mercedes Fashion Week Costa Rica).
In addition to showcasing products, ANPIC 2025 will focus on generating synergies between all players in the value chain. From designers to suppliers to manufacturers, everyone will have the opportunity to interact in an environment that promotes innovation and collaboration.
The event will not only provide a platform for product presentations, but also an opportunity for participants to receive direct feedback and establish new business relationships that will strengthen the presence of Mexican industry internationally.
