Made in Italy maintains foothold in France

The Italian fashion segment's exports to France are in excess of 3 billion euros (10/11% of our total exports) and it can be said that the trend in recent years has been stable: the slight downswing of 1% in the first six months of 2004 is in fact in line with the general downturn in French imports.

'If there can be no doubt that France, the other fashion country, represents Italy's direct competitor par excellence, it is also true that it is an enthusiastic and regular client of our fashion industry', the director of Ice Paris, Fabio Cosciotti, explained to Modaonline. 'First and foremost, therefore, we must defend the position we have acquired through wide-ranging activities and these must be integrated with initiatives that are oriented toward sectors that are especially dynamic, or those in which our presence can be increased still further. In order to achieve these objectives, Ice's programs for fostering Italian fashion include extensive activities, which range from participation in major French trade fairs to the organization of fashion shows (Made in Italy eyewear last month: ed.), communication campaigns and sending missions of operators and journalists to Italy'.

Ice Paris aims to hold on to market share also through special initiatives and by having a permanent role in trade fairs, such as Première Vision and Silmo, which showed a strong recovery in the Italian eyewear segment in France, where the upturn in exports for the first six months of 2004 was +20.5% for frames and +12.6% for sunglasses.

With a value in 2003 of about 800 million euros, footwear is top of the list of Italy's fashion exports to France. Textiles come next, but there has been a steady decline from 23.2% in 2001 to 22.6% in 2003 and an export value of 749 million euros. Knitwear follows, with 2003 exports totaling 724 million, an upturn of 1.63% compared to the previous year; non-knitted garments had the best growth in 2003 (up 7.62% against 2002) at 655 million, and clothing in general, where Italy is the second supplier country after China.

'The picture is more uncertain for 2005', Casciotti concluded. 'Unemployment levels in France have returned to almost 10%, which could have a negative affect on domestic consumption. Much depends on the economic trend which, in its turn, depends on internal and external factors. What is certain is that although there may be a slight downturn, Made in Italy overall will continue to be successful in this market thanks to its highly positive image in the eyes of French consumers'.