Stahl, the world leader in speciality coatings for flexible materials, has announced the opening of a new state-of-the-art facility for the manufacturing of polyurethane dispersions (PUD) in Singapore. This strategic expansion is designed to better serve the growing demand in the Asian and South Pacific regions. The new facility underscores Stahl’s commitment to sustainability and innovation, while also supporting the company’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals.
A strategic geographical shift Historically, Stahl’s PUD production has been centred in Europe, with products imported into Asia to meet market demand. With the establishment of the Singapore facility, Stahl can now streamline its supply chain, reducing delivery times and improve service for its customers across the region. Therefore, the shift underscores Stahl’s long-term commitment to investing in the region and supporting its customers with faster, more sustainable solutions tailored to the unique demands of the Asia-Pacific market.
Driving innovation with high-performance PUDs The new facility will focus on producing high-performance polyurethane dispersions, which offer a range of beneficial properties critical for various industries. These advanced PUDs provide exceptional fastness, water resistance, print retention, and high flex durability, making them ideal for use in demanding applications. PUD technology plays a key role in reducing solvent usage, making it an important component of Stahl’s broader sustainability strategy. By producing more water-based coatings, Stahl reduces the environmental impact of its operations, supporting the transition to more sustainable materials across industries. The Singapore facility will further explore renewable energy and bio-based formulations, advancing the company’s ESG goals and paving the way for future innovations.
At Edition 160, which took place from 31 August to 2 September in Offenbach, international brands and retailers from the industry came together for the Spring/Summer 2025 seasonal order round, with lively order activity in the exhibition halls on all days.
ILM is and remains an important marketplace for the leather goods, accessories, and luggage industry. In addition to traditional leather goods retailers, more and more shoe and textile retailers as well as buyers from well-known department and concept stores are visiting the trade fair to supplement their range with bags, luggage, and accessories.
Which trends will be in demand in summer 2025? Ice cream colours such as cream, vanilla, and pistachio are on trend alongside strong red tones, especially coral. When it comes to materials, raffia and the combination of linen and natural leather are considered indispensable. Small details such as rivets, perforations and silk foulards further enhance the new bags. Function is the be-all and end-all when it comes to luggage and satchels. Suppliers meet the strict regulations of airlines, for example, with removable wheels on suitcases (Roncato) or practical (cooling) inserts on rucksacks (Reisenthel). Recycled materials are still very popular. Fashion and sustainability are not mutually exclusive.
After four intense days full of new projects and collaborations, the Milan WHITE show concluded on September 22 with the presentation of the spring/summer 2025 fashion collections of more than 300 brands. The event, scheduled at the same time as Milan Fashion Week, was realized with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), ICE – Agency for the Promotion Abroad and Internationalization of Italian Enterprises, under the patronage of the Lombardy Region and the City of Milan, and with the partnership of Confartigianato Imprese.
Thanks to a studied scouting, White once again proposed research realities with fresh and innovative creative codes, rewarding the originality of the collections, capturing the identity of individual brands and enhancing their production process, which now more than ever, abandons seriality to favor craftsmanship and uniqueness.
Big news of the September 2024 edition was I’M TALENT SHOWROOM, the collaboration with Istituto Marangoni created to give support to the entrepreneurial path of five students of the renowned international fashion school. Other talents present at WHITE were the winning brands of the Latin American Fashion Awards, founded by Constanza Etro and Silvia Argüello.
As part of the WHITE Village program, Massimiliano Bizzi took part as a speaker in the panel organized by Deloitte, the ninth edition of the Global Fashion & Luxury Private Equity Survey, emphasizing the importance of the contemporary fashion sector represented by WHITE’s brand mix as key players in the new luxury.
Interpreting women’s tastes, often surprising them with details, lines and colors, is Alina Mitrusi, owner of Ital Design, a company highly specialized in hand-stitching shoe accessories born in 2017 and now collaborating with the best shoe factories in the Milanese hinterland for production at the highest level. From more than 20 years of experience in the best Italian shoe factories and art studios, Alina Mitrusi has been able to create with her new brand Mitrusi sensual and feminine footwear that reflects the personality of the wearer, often revealing certain details such as refinement and eccentric taste. Mitrusi shoes are luxury shoes, essential in design, produced with the best quality raw materials and enriched with contemporary details. Shoes that, as its creator says, are ‘impossible to resist!’
They were held with great success from September 14 to 17 Fashion&Jewels, The One and from September 15 to 18, MICAM and MIPEL, confirming a winning synergy of the events dedicated to fashion at Fiera Milano (Rho). A total of 40,950 professional visitors attended the great fashion fair, of whom 45 percent came from abroad, from 140 countries. The best performances were recorded by European countries, particularly Spain, Germany and France, but brilliant results were also achieved by North America, which marked a double-digit increase (Canada and the USA); followed by the Far East, with China and Japan leading the way.
The fairs thus confirmed themselves as undisputed protagonists in the innovation scene, responding to market needs with professionalism and punctuality, even in challenging times such as the current one, reinforcing their role as hubs of encounter, development and excellence. With the participation of visionary startups and collaborations with educational institutions and universities, each event proved to be an immersive journey between creativity and technology.
In a period of profound transformation for the fashion world, dominated by digitization and sustainability, this year’s fairs combined their business message, centered on production methods, artistic ability and the value chain, with a focus on training and job opportunities for the new generations. A bridge between school and business, with numerous opportunities for young people to come into direct contact with the corporate world. Also underscoring the importance of this effort was the participation of the Minister of Education and Merit, Giuseppe Valditara, who during the inauguration highlighted the value of investing in young people and emerging professions in the manufacturing sector.
Founded in 1973, Mec Europa is a leading Italian luxury footwear manufacturer. Located in Verolanuova (Brescia, Italy), the company has a production capacity of 4,000 pairs of shoes per day, made in its five production plants covering an area of 20,000 square meters, which are supported by a warehouse of more than 5,000 square meters dedicated to the storage of materials.
Mec Europa collaborates with the world’s most prestigious fashion brands, offering a complete service from design to the production of the finished product. “Thanks to the work of our more than 300 employees and a meticulous attention to quality and innovation, we proudly represent the true Made in Italy in the footwear industry”, emphasizes Mec Europa General Manager Paolo Baiguera.
The success of the Lombard footwear company is characterized by a remarkable growth path. Mec Europa, in fact, recently opened a new location in Verolanuova going on to complete a 2 million euro investment in 2 years.
We ask Baiguera what is the motivation behind this important project, especially in such a complex period for the fashion industry?
“Our decision to invest stems from a deep conviction: in times of crisis, such as the one we are currently experiencing, it is essential to know how to seize opportunities. Our company has faced difficult challenges before, such as the 2008-2012 crisis, and we have come out stronger. We have learned that investing in quality, craftsmanship and control of the production process sets us apart in the market. The complete internalization of the supply chain, which we now manage directly, is a concrete example of how we intend to ensure excellence and innovation, even in complex times. When many people were offshoring in the late 1990s and at the beginning of the millennium, Mec Europa always believed in the importance of being able to manage every production process ourselves. We knew that sooner or later the choice would pay off. Now luxury customers appreciate our vision.”
Could investing at such a complex time, when even griffes seem to be stuck, prove to be a gamble?
“Our reality is proceeding against the trend; in fact, we continue to grow. The numbers speak for themselves: in the last three years, turnover has grown and our margins have grown. We closed 2023 with a turnover of 27.5 million euros and aim to close 2024 with a 40% increase over the previous year, precisely because of the investments made. We entered the signature champions league late compared to others, but we prepared maniacally to provide a complete and accurate service. Today we are being recognized for this investment.”
You have increased your assembly lines to 7 and hired over 155 people in the last two years. Have you experienced a benefit you did not expect from this expansion?
“I would not speak of surprises as much as confirmations. We knew that our choice to internalize would bring numerous benefits. Today, with direct control of the entire supply chain – from design to finished product – we can ensure the highest quality at every stage of production. Our ability to maintain high standards, both in terms of efficiency and social impact, stems precisely from this strategic decision. Every day we see the fruits of this choice, and the market, particularly luxury brands, increasingly appreciates that we can ensure quality, traceability and sustainability.”
Having control over all production processes, what innovations are you looking to most to evolve further?
“We have developed software tailored to our needs, and we have built it by directly involving all our employees. The goal is to track quality in real time, at every stage of the production process. This tool not only serves the company to monitor, but also the operators to improve their work and feel part of the project. Tracking quality in such detail allows us to anticipate problems and refine details, while maintaining the craftsmanship excellence that sets us apart. We don’t just tell our customers in words that we offer them a quality product, but we can demonstrate it, as well as assure them that we interpret quality as constant refinement.”
What are the next goals in terms of sustainability?
“Sustainability is a central aspect of our strategy. We have invested heavily to ensure compliance with the highest environmental standards, provided all plants with bicycles to get around within them, electrified the car fleet, and placed a resource in the company dedicated to developing a welfare program with the sole aim of improving the well-being of all employees. We will also soon start with the installation of solar panels on all our plants.”
You have placed great emphasis on youth training. How are you addressing this issue and what is your vision for the future?
“We believe that the future of our industry depends on the ability to train, engage, enthuse and motivate the younger generation. Investing in young people is perhaps the most important innovation to focus on. That is why we have created a continuing education program, which involves our most experienced workers in transferring their know-how to young people. Working in our industry requires deep craft skills, and we don’t just teach a single task, we want to pass on a culture of shoemaking. We wish to raise masters, not workers. So it is essential to involve young people, make them part of our project and make them feel that they are part of something bigger. Only in this way we can ensure the continuity and success of Mec Europa in the years to come. With this in mind, we will soon be launching a special training project aimed precisely at involving our young employees and growing in them a passion for this job.”
The International Union of Footwear Industry Technicians (UITIC) has announced the venue and topics of its much-anticipated 22nd Congress, scheduled to be held in Shanghai, Aug. 31-Sept. 3, 2025. The first two days (Aug. 31 and Sept. 1) will be dedicated to visiting local shoe factories, research centers and local educational institutions, with a gala evening on the first day, hosted by CLIA. This special event will be an opportunity for CLIA members to connect with industry professionals from tanneries, footwear brands, leather companies, and technology providers in the UITIC community.
Then getting into the heart of the actual conference, this will take place on the third and fourth days (Sept. 2 and 3), with highly professional meetings devoted to a wide range of topics related to technologies for the footwear industry. Participants will be able to attend panel discussions, presentations and networking opportunities. The full program will feature a combination of keynote speeches, thematic sessions and panels. In particular, this year’s themes and topics will be related to the competitiveness and sustainability of the footwear industry in the age of artificial intelligence.
The convivial and meeting event will be the Gala Dinner, which will be held on the evening of the second day on a cruise boat on the Huangpu River, with a breathtaking view of Shanghai.
Finally, the program includes an Industry Tour on the third day, with a visit to ACLE and Moda China, China’s major trade fairs showcasing the latest trends and innovations in the leather and footwear industry.
For more information, visit the UITIC website; the conference website with registration platform will be open soon.
With the participation of 23,800 professional operators – including 17,573 buyers (57 percent Italian, 43 percent foreign, from 112 countries), Lineapelle confirmed itself as an investment in the future for the fashion, luxury and design supply chain, in the context of a conjuncture characterized by complex uncertainty. From the point of view of provenance, of note is the lower brilliance of Italian visitors, compensated by a greater vitality of foreign ones, confirming the international vocation of the Leather Show and its essential role in connecting the top players in the supply chain: from the big groups and brands of the fashion & luxury industry, to emerging talents and the most innovative start-ups. In particular, the performance of incoming operators from the United States, China, India, Poland, Brazil, and Mexico is significant. In decline France, Spain, Germany.
Great attention by the exhibitors (1,261 tanneries, manufacturers of accessories, components, fabrics and synthetics, from 43 countries) to the development of proposals oriented toward a clear enhancement of naturalness and constant qualitative elevation. In terms of destinations, in the context of a manufacturing landscape that has fallen victim to a consistent slowdown, the prediction is that the first market to restart will be high-end leather goods.
Once again the successful combination with Simac Tanning Tech, the international exhibition of technology for the tannery, footwear and leather goods sectors, which celebrated the milestone of edition number 50 at Fiera Milano Rho, was confirmed.
Next appointment with Lineapelle: February 25-27, 2025 with the preview of the 2026 summer fashion season.
This is the picture of the sector taken by the latest report produced by the Centro Studi Confindustria Accessori Moda for Assocalzaturifici, which also notes a decrease in purchases by Italian families (-2.1% in both volume and spending).
For Giovanna Ceolini, president of Assocalzaturifici: “The phase of weakness in demand, held back by a lower propensity to buy on the part of consumers, the slowdown in several economies (not just China) and the uncertainty linked to geopolitical turmoil in several areas of the planet, has strongly penalized orders, not even sparing luxury. The economic downturn is having strong repercussions on companies’ production rhythms, which have amplified the use of layoffs. Negative balances are also growing in the number of employees and active companies compared to last December.”
The most significant effects have been in foreign trade. “Suffering, first and foremost,” Ceolini continues, ”were exports, which have always been the sector’s driving force, given that 85 percent of the pairs produced in Italy are sold outside national borders. As a result of the contraction in foreign sales (-8.5 percent), the sector’s trade balance, although in surplus by 2.34 billion euros, denotes a decline of -4.7 percent, despite the downsizing of imports (-11.6 percent).”
Examining export data in detail, the slight declines in sales in EU partners (-1.6% in value and -2.4% in quantity, favored by the resilience of flows to France, +2.6% in value and +1.5% in volume, confirmed as the first destination) are accompanied by setbacks in the order of -15% in non-EU outlets. Among these, the only positive signs are recorded for the Middle East (+10.7% in value) and the Far East (+2.9%, with China +12.6% and Hong Kong +22.6%), but these are to be read above all in the light of changes in the distribution strategies of luxury brands, particularly rooted in these areas, which now ship directly to their final destination markets goods that used to transit through hubs in Switzerland (which, not surprisingly, marks a -54.7% in value).
The U.S. gives up -3.5% in value (but with a decidedly more pronounced -14.7% in volume), while Russia, after collapsing in 2022 at the start of the conflict and rebounding in 2023, shows a -21.7% drop in value on January-May 2023.
On the domestic consumption front, the data are also not positive: in the first 6 months, Italian household purchases fell -2.1%, both in volume and spending. The most marked declines involved men’s shoes (-5.7% in quantity and -4.6% in spending), while women’s and children’s/youth shoes show reductions in the order of -3%, both in pairs and in value. “Sports and sneakers” show the least heavy contractions (-1% in volume and -0.6% in value).
The exhibition, which spread over 8 halls in the Expo Centre, occupied a total area of 92,000 square meters, with more than 1,000 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions. There were 17 international and national pavilions: Australia, Brazil, China (Fuxin, Haining, Ouhai, Pingyu, Wuji, Xinji, Zhaoyuan), France, Italy, Pakistan, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States.
For the second consecutive year, the number of visitors reached a record level. ACLE attracted more than 31,000 buyers and technicians, an increase of 11 percent over 2023. Among the thousands of buyers were many manufacturers of shoes, bags, clothing, furniture and car interiors and related designers.
Recall that despite the overall unfavorable economic situation after the pandemic, according to the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA), Chinese leather industry revenues grew 5.2 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2024, which boosted the trade show’s business interest. Compared with the first half of 2023, the Chinese leather industry showed more positive results this year.
Therefore, all that remains is to mark in your diary the next ACLE 25th edition, which will be held from September 3-5, 2025, at the New International Expo Centre in Shanghai.
