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Arsutoria Magazine

IFABA: “The art of shaping”

“The art of shaping” is the new key concept from which the industrial group has set out to rewrite the future, always with a concrete ethical commitment that over time has shaped its relations with third parties, suppliers and public and private stakeholders. For the industrial group, lasts represent the perfect matrix and authentic realisation of that continuous succession of fashions and trends that have made the history of footwear great as an expression of true luxury and elegance. Each last is a unique and special piece, just like each shoe to which it gives life. This is counterbalanced by the new payoff that accompanies IFABA’s logotype, namely ‘Shape your visions’: with its expertise and the highest Made in Italy craftsmanship, IFABA succeeds in giving life to the most daring and visionary design ideas and projects, creating products capable of giving true emotions to those who use them.

IFABA, more than a mere supplier of products and services, is unanimously considered a true technological partner, able to support all the world’s most important players in the high-fashion sector thanks to an enlightened vision and a vast range of tailor-made solutions for any need.

Central in this sense, among the ESG factors on which it lays its foundations is the investment strategy for the five-year industrial plan, envisaged by the Parabiago-based group; governance, on which the company has implemented the requirements of Decree 231 on the Code of Ethics; in the social sphere, IFABA also intends to support its employees in 2024 with a corporate welfare project that will cover, first and foremost, healthcare expenses, schools, kindergartens and primary goods.

26 April marks World Leather Day

26 April 2024 marks World Leather Day, a global initiative established in 2022 at the instigation of Leather Naturally and Leather Working Group (LWG) to enhance the image of leather and promote its use. ‘Repair, Reuse, Re-use’ is the theme chosen for this year’s celebrations, which aims to emphasise the special characteristics of the material, primarily durability and circularity.

“World Leather Day is more than just a celebration; it’s a commitment to responsible practices. We aim to foster a deeper understanding of the leather industry by showcasing its craftsmanship, innovation, and sustainability” they explain from Leather Naturally.

Leather Naturally invites everyone to take an active part in the celebrations by sharing photos and information on their social channels, which will be made available to everyone a few days before the event: ” Whether you are a leading company or brand, a seasoned leather professional, designer, student, reporter from the industry, an employee of a leading leather-related company or a curious newcomer, we invite you to become a partner of World Leather Day and join the celebration”.
To request the Social Media Kit prepared for World Leather Day click HERE.

New partnership between Gardaland and Utility Diadora

Gardaland, the Italian Amusement Park par excellence, and Utility Diadora, leader in footwear and workwear, have signed an important partnership for the development and launch of the new uniforms for the employees of the Resort.
“This collaboration represents the union of two leading brands in their respective sectors: Gardaland – for spectacle and entertainment – and Utility Diadora for the safety and wellbeing of its workers, who have collaborated to create uniforms that reflect the energy and professionalism of the human resources employed at the Resort” reads the official press release .
The new style of the uniforms – a set of polo shirts, sweatshirts and trousers for the hundreds of workers of the park – blends iconic elements of Gardaland and the aesthetic, sporty and technical taste of Utility Diadora. “High quality materials guarantee durability, protection and versatility, adapting to the needs of each employee and to the work carried out inside the Resort in the different seasons”.

New TFL Colour Trends Catalogue Autumn-Winter 2025/26

TFL has released its new TFL Colour Trends Catalogue for the season Autumn Winter 2025/26.
In the catalogue, TFL presents the colour trends for leather garment, footwear, accessories and additionally for the upholstery industry.

The colour trends are divided into “Wearing” and “Living”, devoting a section to each within the publication. Wearing comprises inspirations and colour trends for garments, footwear and accessories.
The Living section features all colours that will decorate the season’s interior designs.

In “Wearing”, we emphasize the importance of leather being unmistakably genuine, without any ambiguity or compromise as to its true nature. Leather goods are the reigning fashion accessory of the season and here we find a fusion of feather effects, harmonious interplay of colour and embossing and diverse handle options, obtained either with silicones or waxes.
At the same time – TFL fashion experts explain – we are aware that innovation and high-quality chemical formulations are essential. For this reason, while lightweight sneakers embody futuristic design, chemical research is making efforts and leading to novel acrylic and polyurethane polymers.
Overall, our aim is to maintain the timeless allure of genuine leather craftsmanship.
In “Living”, we see today’s interconnected world, globalization has profoundly impacted industries like leather production, resulting in extensive movement of raw materials and drawing parallels with global migrations.
The architectural landscape has also undergone transformative changes, with the trend towards open, transparent spaces influencing the evolution of leather products and their performances. In the interiors sector, there has been a notable focus on improving comfort and functionality, encouraging relaxation and escape. Amidst these advancements, the principles of innovation, sustainability and aesthetic appeal remain important. The advent of digital architecture further revolutionizes design possibilities, enabling the rapid generation of intricate structures based on imaginative prompts.

For further details please have a look at www.tfl.com.

One of the inspiration boards of the new TFL fashion catalogue

APLF: successful return to Hong Kong

A long-awaited fair that did not disappoint expectations but reflected an international leather market clearly suffering on the main markets. This in a nutshell is the balance of the 40th edition of APLF, which returned to Hong Kong after five years.
The organisers have just released the attendance figures for the event held from 19 to 21 March 2024: there were 12,000 visitors from 73 countries and regions. The top 10 countries were: China, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, USA and Vietnam. The best day was undoubtedly the first one when crowds of visitors waiting to enter the halls made the organisers and exhibitors breathe a sigh of relief, because in fact nobody knew for sure how the first time in Hong Kong after the pandemic would go.
APLF, on the other hand, proved to still work, managing to attract top players from the world’s major markets and relaunching itself as a global platform. As always, however, trade fairs mirror the market and even the Hong Kong marketplace today has to contend with a leather market in great difficulty in the main markets due to weak demand, particularly for footwear and leather goods.
Although a decrease compared to the last edition in 2019, the offer on show was decidedly important with 740 exhibitors including almost 500 in the two halls dedicated to the Leather section now located on level 3 of the Convention Center. Also significant is the presence of no less than 18 national pavilions including Australia, Brazil, China, France, Japan, Korea, India, Italy, Mexico, Pakistan, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and the United States. Noteworthy was the Italian presence with the large collective of tanners (UNIC) and tannery mechanics and tanning chemists (ASSOMAC).
The next edition of APLF is scheduled from 12 to 14 March 2025.

A glimpse of the UNIC – Italian tanneries pavilion

Anti-deforestation Regulation: UNIC’s alarm  

UNIC – Italian Tanneries and FILCTEM CGIL, FEMCA CISL and UILTEC UIL raise the alarm on the present and future of the national leather supply chain. What is worrying the Italian tanning sector which is already “experiencing an extremely complicated and very negative economic phase” are the consequences of the entry into force at the end of the year of the EU anti-deforestation Regulation n.1115/2023 (EUDR). “This regulation – we read in the official press release – sets objectives that Italian tanners fully share, to the point that for years the national tanning industry has been strategically committed to improving supply chain traceability and combating any possible phenomenon of deforestation”. The current formulation of EUDR, however, provides that operators who market bovine hides in the European Union must verify their origin from non-deforested areas, requiring the application of traceability tools which are currently absolutely inadequate, if not unavailable, and unsuitable. to satisfy, in a very short time, unnecessarily severe and stringent requirements. Tanners fear that the application of the anti-deforestation Regulation would cause a lot of damage to the sector “making its circular activity of recovery and transformation of raw hides substantially impracticable, and frustrating its own purposes, since it would not contribute in the slightest to the real fight against deforestation, to at the same time favoring competitive dumping by non-European countries”.
Together with the trade unions, the Italian tanners’ association therefore asks the national and EU institutions for “an urgent intervention to avert the unnecessarily devastating impact of the EUDR on the Italian leather industry, in order to avoid heavy repercussions on employment levels in the sector and to support the recovery of a virtuous economic system that is at the forefront on the international scene, which uses animal hides and skins from zootechnical processing, implementing the principles of the circular economy, and also carries out waste treatment and recovery cycles for an effective and efficient use of existing resources”.

Court of Venice: no wrongdoing by Rotacoat srl, Barnini srl and Diego Marcolin

On 7 March, the court of Venice recognised that Rotacoat, Barnini and Mr Diego Marcolin had committed no wrongdoing against Gemata, a Vicenza-based company that is a leading manufacturer of coating machines. A court case that, in a nutshell, began in October 2019 when Gemata employee Diego Marcolin moved to Rotacoat and was subsequently accused of stealing company data and documents from Gemata.
The order of the Court of Venice follows that of 29 February 2024 when also the Judge for Preliminary Investigations of the Court of Pisa, accepting the Public Prosecutor’s request for archiving, had ordered the archiving of the criminal proceedings initiated by Gemata against Mr Diego Marcolin, as no unlawful conduct attributable to him had emerged as a result of the extensive preliminary investigations.
“These are two decisions (the one in the civil court and the one in the criminal court) that we have been waiting for for a long time and that confirm what we have been clamouring for since the beginning of this affair. We are therefore very happy that clarity has finally been shed, bringing light and truth to the matter. The trial on the merits has also been started recently, with which we are certain, on the basis of the positive outcomes of the precautionary, appeal and criminal proceedings, to obtain further confirmation of the measures already issued by the Court of Venice, as well as compensation for the damages suffered to date”.

TODESCO launches Corporate Video 2024

A wonderful story of people putting all their experience, tenacity and passion into making well-made, solid and functional machines. Todesco, a leading Italian company producing cutting-edge finishing lines used by the best tanneries around the world, has released its Corporate Video 2024 entitled “Never give up”.

I-TECH Srl appoints Andrea Carandini as General Manager

Building on its recent commercial successes and the development of new innovative products, I-TECH S.r.l. continues its market expansion on different sectors. At the heart of the strategy is the recent appointment of Andrea Carandini as General Manager.
“This appointment,” explain the Modenese company specialised among other things in offering systems and technologies for the efficiency of leather finishing departments” will allow Bruno Bettelli, founder, president and managing director, to prepare the future of I-TECH S.r.l. through the strategy department, for which he is responsible.
With over 20 years of experience in the capital goods industry, Andrea Carandini is a true expert in Market development and structuring, after had succesfully completed in the executive General Management program at LIUC Business School / Luiss Business School in 2023 , he is now applying his expertise to the benefit of I-TECH S.r.l. to firmly establish the SME as a leading player in solutions for preparation and transferring of liquids colorants products in different fields.
Andrea Carandini receives the best wishes of the entire I-TECH staff.

Sneakers made from food industry waste and recycled materials: ID.EIGHT

Dong Seon Lee, Giuliana Borzillo

The project was born from the meeting between Dong Seon Lee and Giuliana Borzillo, both of whom come from the world of footwear: Dong is a Creative Designer Director and Giuliana a Brand Manager. Together they created a collection of sneakers with a refined design and at the same time sustainable and ethical.

From a beautiful love story, a footwear brand was born. The line is officially launched in February 2020 through a crowdfunding campaign, and 320 supporters immediately believe in ID.EIGHT.

Here is how they explain the sustainable aspect of their project: “We mainly use 4 types of bio-based materials for the upper, derived from by-products of agricultural or industrial activities:

– BioVeg: made in Italy with recycled PES and biopolyols, from non-food corn crops.

– Uppeal: made in Italy from apple peels and cores.

– Vegea: made in Italy from grape skins, seeds and stems.

– Piñatex: made in Spain from pineapple leaves from the Philippines.

Recycled synthetic materials (polyester, mesh, Lycra, rubber) and recycled cotton made in Portugal, Spain and Italy complete the other parts of the shoe”.