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Arsutoria Magazine

Lenzi Egisto inaugurates its new plant in Enping

Research remains in Tuscany, production is strengthened in Asia: Italian quality standards at competitive costs.

There is a common thread (but also many other colours and in the most literal sense) that starts in the Tuscan hills and reaches the Province of Guangdong. A thread that enters the raw factory and comes out as finished fabric, ready to become the upper part of a shoe or the surface of a bag. LENZI Egisto® by FF has made this journey not only real, but — with the new Enping site — even more scalable.

Since 2008, the subsidiary GVT has been operating in Guangzhou with a specific goal: to produce fabrics designed in Italy locally. This is not just any old relocation. It is a model where the design brain remains in Tuscany and the competitive hands work in Asia under entirely Italian management.

The excellent results achieved by GVT have led to the expansion of the business. The new factory, which has been operational since January, covers more than 8,000 square metres and will be formally inaugurated on 14 April. The turning point is complete vertical integration: yarn in, finished fabric out. No subcontractors, no opaque supply chain. Quality and confidentiality.

The departments cover the entire range: from Jacquard fabrics to PU Tek®, to REVO KNIT — a new generation of orthogonal fabrics with a 3D knit effect. The latter respond to the demand for innovative textures in footwear design: the aesthetics of knitwear on an industrially workable structure. Research and development remain in Tuscany, at the FF parent company.

“Italian fabrics and quality control at Asian prices”: GVT’s motto sums up the aim of the project in six words.

The 34th Shoes & Leather Guangzhou| IFLE – Guangzhou is back

Top Repute Co. Ltd., a well-established trade fair organiser since 1989, continues to promote growth and innovation in the global leather goods and footwear industry by bringing together international operators for the first of three events: Shoes & Leather – Guangzhou | IFLE – Guangzhou, International One-Stop Sourcing for Footwear Manufacturing and Finished Products. The international footwear and leather industry trade fair is scheduled to take place from 20 to 22 May 2026, in halls 17.1-20.1 of the Canton Fair Complex, and includes the International Footwear Fair (IFLE).

The exhibition will feature over 800 exhibitors from more than 20 countries and regions, showcasing the latest technological and product innovations. The event is a strategic hub that brings together the entire supply chain, attracting over 20,000 industry professionals from more than 80 countries and regions across an area of 40,000 square metres. The fair brings together the entire industry supply chain, providing an ideal environment for discovering advanced manufacturing technologies, sourcing high-quality materials and establishing valuable business contacts.

More details are available on the Shoes & Leather Guangzhou event website.


FUTURMODA exceeds expectations

The traditional Elche trade fair closed its doors on 5 March after two highly successful days, with over 4,100 national and international professionals attending to learn about the latest innovations in components, leathers, fabrics, machinery and technological solutions applied to footwear and leather goods, allowing companies to establish important business contacts and find out about the latest developments in the sector.

Among the nationalities present, professionals from Spain, Italy, Portugal, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Turkey and China stood out, as well as other markets linked to the footwear and fashion industry.

In an international context fraught with uncertainty and difficulties, the general manager of AEC and FUTURMODA, Álvaro Sánchez, praised the results of the event, noting that the number of participants exceeded expectations. Sánchez highlighted the interest of the sector, also emphasising the commitment of manufacturers to Spanish manufacturing.

During the fair, national deputy Alejandro Soler also visited and spoke about the economic importance of the footwear sector and the need to support companies with favourable policies.

FUTURMODA also offered a packed programme of events, including the Experts’ Forum, with conferences on topics such as artificial intelligence, digitalisation, sustainability and internationalisation. At the same time, the FUTURMODA Green Planet space once again proved to be one of the main attractions for visitors, with a focus on sustainable materials, innovative solutions and projects related to the circular economy, traceability and responsible production.


Fashion Link Milano: the synergy that generates value

The first edition of Fashion Link Milano, the new trade fair ecosystem that brought together a total of 1,777 brands in five key events at Fiera Milano Rho, came to an end on 25 February: MICAM Milano, MIPEL, Milano Fashion&Jewels, TheOneMilano and Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni. A synergy between different but complementary events, which has created a true international hub for fashion retail, offering an integrated experience for buyers and industry professionals. The closing figures are proof of this: 46,000 visitors in total, with a strong international presence, particularly from France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Greece and, outside the EU, Japan and the USA. In terms of participating companies, 1,777 brands were present, 45% of which came from abroad, with the involvement of specialised buyers and lifestyle buyers active on international markets.

This is how Fashion Link Milano confirmed a vision already in place: reaffirming the central role of trade fairs as strategic platforms for the evolution of global fashion, capable of promoting quality, fostering qualified connections and creating a community in which every encounter becomes an opportunity for business and inspiration.

A dynamic and integrated context, enriched by cross-cutting initiatives, has allowed buyers to identify emerging trends, engage with global markets, and discover craftsmanship excellence and cutting-edge technologies.

Starting in September 2026, the project will be further strengthened with the simultaneous return of LINEAPELLE and Simac Tanning Tech, bringing the number of events under Fashion Link Milano to seven and completing the story of the fashion supply chain, from product to technology, an essential driver of contemporary innovation.

MICAM AND MIPEL: BUSINESS PLATFORMS AND STRATEGIC VISION

An active and highly valuable part of Fashion Link Milano was the 101st edition of MICAM and the 129th edition of MIPEL, which attracted over 20,000 visitors to the fair, 46% of whom were Italian and 54% international, particularly from France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Greece and, outside the EU, Japan and the USA.

The event saw the participation of 795 brands, 402 of which were international and 393 Italian, confirming the high international appeal and central role of the fair in supporting the business and internationalisation processes of the sector.

 “The figures confirm the solidity of the event,” said Giovanna Ceolini, president of MICAM and Assocalzaturifici, “but what really makes us proud is the quality of the relationships that are built here, the intensity of the interaction between companies, buyers and operators from all over the world. MICAM is not just a trade fair: it is a lively platform for business and strategic vision, a space where Italian manufacturing excellence dialogues with emerging trends, new technologies and the distribution models of the future. The work begun with the industrial plan, the collaboration with our institutional partners – from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ICE – and the growing focus on internationalisation show that we are on the right track.

Among the most appreciated elements were the MICAM Next area, with seminars organised in collaboration with WIRED Italia and fashion shows, and M&M – The Hub, the space dedicated to training and advanced manufacturing, where the MICAM Academy and craft workshops curated by Arsutoria School attracted over 500 students during the three days of the event.

The next appointment is now with Micam 102, from 13 to 15 September 2026.


Trends Spring/Summer 2027

A different way of observing materials, forms and surfaces, letting creative thinking come before category.

The collaboration between Virgil Abloh and Takashi Murakami represents one of the most emblematic cases of this vision. It all begins in 2003, under the creative direction of Marc Jacobs, with the first and iconic collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Murakami: the celebrated Monogram Multicolor, an explosion of color and pop culture that breaks the boundaries between contemporary art and accessories. That visual world then returns in the language of Louis Vuitton during the Virgil Abloh years (2018–2021), reigniting its cultural force by bringing Murakami’s work into a more mature and experimental conceptual dimension. And still today, under the menswear direction of Pharrell Williams, the collaboration finds new interpretations: in 2024–2025, twenty years after the first edition, Louis Vuitton celebrates this legacy with reissues and an ongoing dialogue with the artist’s visual universe.

Pop Dust
Optical Seduction
Cut as nature

From this cross-pollination emerges an idea of fashion as a space of creative autonomy. Independence not as isolation, but as the freedom to build one’s own language, far from standardization and aesthetic clichés. It means breaking dominant codes, moving beyond the labels of minimalism or maximalism to give shape to personal and recognizable identities. In this perspective, every material becomes a statement: irregular surfaces, untamed volumes, assemblages that appear spontaneous but are the result of research. As in nonconformist art, independence is also provocation: an invitation to look beyond, to question what is taken for granted. The trends that follow are born from here. They do not point in a single direction, but open up creative territories to explore, where art, matter and design meet to build new expressive possibilities.

VIDEO: Men’s catwalks F/W ’26-27 trends

Identity, Measure, and the New Luxury. The men’s shows for the Fall/Winter 2026–27 season offered two compelling visions of contemporary masculinity—one grounded in deliberate contradiction, the other in silent, unwavering continuity. Here are the key takeaways.

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Our Trend Analyst Maria Cristina Rossi guides us through the discovery of the main trends seen on the catwalks:

Dior Men: Tension as a Design Principle

Drawing inspiration from Paul Poiret, Anderson built a collection around deliberate contradiction — part cultured, part subcultural, suspended outside any fixed era. Yellow wigs removed the looks from time entirely, while soft messenger bags and Y-shaped ankle boots kept things grounded in the everyday. A measured luxury that doesn’t need special effects, its strength lies in leaving tensions unresolved rather than smoothing them over.

Giorgio Armani: A Radical Calm

The first collection since the founder’s passing, this show carried a quiet but unmistakable weight. Leo Del Oroco chose continuity over disruption — a genuinely courageous move in a system that too often mistakes noise for progress. Everything was unmistakably Armani: fluid, built on subtraction, with shoes designed to support rather than declare and bags that stay strictly functional. Less Instagrammable than its peers, but far more lasting.

The Broader Trends: Softness Takes Over

Across the shows, two clear directions emerged in accessories. Leather goods shed their rigidity entirely — travel bags, document holders, shoppers, and shoulder bags were constructed without reinforcements, in flexible materials that move naturally with the body. The era of the stiff, structured bag is giving way to something more organic and contemporary.
Footwear followed the same logic. Loafers dominated, many edging close to slipper territory, with snug uppers, cushioned interiors, and thin, flexible soles. Comfort is no longer a compromise — it has become a central element of refined style.

AICC: Pellegrini invites members to participate

We are pleased to publish the first message from the new president to AICC members. Tomaso Pellegrini expresses his gratitude for the trust placed in him, thanks his predecessors and the Board of Directors, and pledges to carry out his role with dedication and a spirit of unity. His goal is to promote the growth of tanning culture, strengthen ties between members, and face future challenges with cohesion, inviting everyone to actively participate in the life of the association.

Tomaso Pellegrini is the new AICC president

 Dear Members,

It is with great enthusiasm and honor that I address you as the new President of the Italian Association of Leather Chemists. I am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me and am ready to take on this responsibility with commitment and dedication.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my predecessors in this role for their work and achievements. In particular, I would like to thank Past Presidents Franca Nuti and Mariano Roberto Mecenero, who taught me the importance of harmony and unity of purpose.

I have found a new Board of Directors that is lively, harmonious, believes in the Association, and has shown me its support. I hope to deserve their trust; I will do my best to repay this demonstration of esteem.

In this new chapter, my goal is to continue promoting the growth of the Leather Culture within the Association and with the next generations, strengthening the bonds between Members and developing new initiatives that allow us to better respond to the challenges and opportunities that await us. I am convinced that unity is strength, especially in this difficult period for the entire supply chain.

I invite you to continue to actively participate in our initiatives and to share your ideas, suggestions, and proposals. Your support is the driving force that pushes us to improve, and I am sure that, with everyone’s contribution, we will be able to build an even brighter future for our Association.

I hope to meet you soon, hear your opinions, and work together to make our organization even stronger.

Warm regards to you all,

The President

Tomaso Pellegrini

Tomaso Pellegrini is the new president of AICC

On February 20, the Board of Directors of the Italian Association of Leather Chemists (AICC) elected Tomaso Pellegrini as its new president for the next three years. A graduate in chemistry from the University of Padua, Pellegrini succeeds Franca Nuti, who had led the association since 2022.

Tomaso Pellegrini

The new president has extensive experience with the association, having been a member of the AICC Board of Directors since 2019 and having served on the UNPAC Technical Commission for over seven years. He has worked at GSC Group since 2000.

The new AICC Executive Board for the three-year period 2026-2028 is composed as follows:

Campania Area: Daniela Caracciolo, Alfredo Guerra, Francesca Petrilli.

Piedmont-Lombardy Area: Gabriella Marchioni Bocca, Massimo Galiberti.

Tuscany Area: Leonardo Brandolini, Massimo De Santis, Tiziana Gambicorti, Riccardo Girolami.

Veneto Area: Stefano Baggio, Gianni Carradore, Alberto Cattazzo, Adriano Gemo, Giancarlo Lovato, Tomaso Pellegrini, Cristina Satolli, Giuliano Vallarsa.

Auditor: Vittorio Panarotto.

“We would like to extend our best wishes to the newly elected president and the new Board of Directors for their effective and fruitful work, for the good and continued growth of our association,” reads the official statement of the association. “We would also like to thank those who have enabled AICC to grow in its activities to promote the tanning culture, and in particular the outgoing president, who has done important work over the past three years.”

  COTANCE opens up to new members and reforms its Statutes: a historic turning point for the European leather industry

A historic turning point for COTANCE. During the Extraordinary General Assembly held on February 13, 2026, in Milan, on the occasion of Lineapelle, the European Confederation of Tanners unanimously approved a substantial revision of its Statutes, officially opening up to a new category of members and setting the course for broader and more inclusive representation of the entire leather supply chain.

The statutory reform, the result of a year-long review process developed during 2025, introduces the new category of “Supporting Members.” These are organizations linked to the leather ecosystem—including training institutions, research and innovation bodies, industrial clusters, suppliers, and other stakeholders—which will be able to formally participate in the Confederation’s activities.

New members will be able to benefit from COTANCE initiatives and take part in targeted events, although they will not have voting rights. The organization’s intention is that this openness will strengthen dialogue and collaboration throughout the value chain.

The revision of the Statutes also introduces an update to the governance structure, strengthening the executive role of the Presidency. The President will be able to appoint Vice-Presidents, ensuring greater flexibility in the leadership structure and representation that is more aligned with the priorities of the sector. The term of office of the Presidency has also been extended to four years.

Manuel Rios, COTANCE President

COTANCE President Manuel Rios emphasized that “the decisions taken in Milan by unanimity signals not just an administrative update, but a structural step forward: a more open, collaborative and future-oriented Confederation, ready to support a modern European leather ecosystem.”

 

Secretary General Gustavo Gonzalez-Quijano also highlighted the significance of the reform: “COTANCE is, and remains, a European organisation representing the interest of European tanners. With this statutory evolution, COTANCE broadens its constituency to cover also the interests of individuals and entities in the leather ecosystem which previously lacked representation. By doing so, it positions itself to better address today’s challenges — from sustainability and traceability to skills, innovation and global competitiveness — by engaging the full spectrum of actors shaping the future of leather.”

During the meeting, members also welcomed Edoardo De Paola as the new Deputy Secretary General. De Paola will take over as Secretary General in April 2026, ensuring continuity and further strengthening the organization’s ability to support the sector in the coming years.

Edoardo De Paola is the new Deputy Secretary General

In his introductory speech, De Paola said: “I am an Italian national and a European citizen. While my proximity may make it more immediate for me to engage with the Italian membership, I am fully conscious that this mandate entrusts me with representing a broad and diverse European membership. I am committed to safeguarding the interest of COTANCE’s members and the plurality of voices that shape its common position”.

 

Organisations interested in joining COTANCE as Supporting Members are invited to express their interest at [email protected]

 

 

Towards ‘integral’ sustainability

The textile industry is undergoing profound changes, and the principles of the circular economy, traceability, and sustainable innovation are essential for the resilience and competitiveness of businesses in a challenging economic environment. The next frontier of sustainability in the textile sector requires innovation, regulatory alignment, and the adoption of new, regenerative, circular business models. To explore these priorities, the Ecomondo & AISEC (Italian Association for the Development of the Circular Economy) Scientific Technical Committee has invited industry experts and presented successful case studies.

Sustainability and the EU

According to Guido Bellitti (Studio Chiomenti), 2025 has seen a scaling back of the Green Deal’s ambitions, with a trend toward simplification and deregulation, as evidenced by Omnibus 1. This has lightened the compliance burden for businesses but has also created legal uncertainty for those that had already begun investing to comply with CSRD and CSDDD. At the same time, competition authorities have stepped up scrutiny of unfair practices in the fashion sector (e.g. labor exploitation and greenwashing). The approval of the Green Claims Directive — currently stalled — remains crucial to providing legal certainty around sustainable communications.

Ecodesign and Traceability

Eleonora Foschi (ENEA) notes that the Ecodesign Regulation, in force since last July, identifies textile products as a priority, defining 16 criteria and introducing tools such as the digital product passport. ENEA is supporting SMEs in Italian textile districts (Biella, Prato) through the compliance process. A pilot study in Emilia-Romagna found that many companies have over 500 suppliers, making traceability highly complex. Rinaldo Rinaldi (University of Florence) stresses that the value of Made in Italy is increasingly shifting from material quality to production process transparency, requiring complete, accurate, and interoperable data across all actors in the supply chain.

The Districts

Valerio Barberis highlights the strategic role of Italian cities, which generate 80% of European GDP. Industrial and artisan districts, such as the textile district of Prato (accounting for 3% of European textile production), should be regarded as circularity laboratories. Dedicated national policies are needed, as current regulations risk hindering the good local practices already underway.

Partnerships for Innovation

Raffaella Arista (Studio Legale Improda) illustrates how patents and partnership agreements are enabling innovation in sustainable materials. A prime example is Orange Fiber, which produces a fabric from the cellulose found in orange juice by-products, already adopted by Ferragamo. Collaborative business networks are also emerging, such as Innovation for Luxury — an open network involving major players including Louis Vuitton — focused on sharing projects around innovation, digitalization, and sustainability.

The Recycling Sector

Attila Kiss (Gruppo Florence) highlights the sector’s challenges: few mature technologies, limited demand, and a prevalence of “down cycling” over genuine recycling, with high costs making recycled materials poorly competitive. Gruppo Florence, with 5,000 employees, aims to drive change through aggregation, material sorting, and creative collaboration with brands. Louis Vuitton also takes a structured approach to circularity: it operates around ten repair centers worldwide, carrying out 500,000 repairs per year, practices eco-design, and has introduced a repairability index (A, B, C), with the goal of having 85% of its collection classified as A or B.