The Immagine Italia &Co. 2016 underwear trade fair took place from 6-7 February in Florence, where it hosted around 250 brands exhibiting their latest products.

Among them were the most prestigious companies in the national and international market, with 30% coming from France, Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland, Slovenia, Latvia, the Netherlands and Brazil.

Fashion has become a protagonist of the fair as always, with lingerie garments and accessories presented on display and paraded on catwalks, closely interlinked with the latest fashion trends, featuring a variety of luxurious and modern looks.

Top buyers at the fair

This year the Chamber of Commerce of Pistoia follows an internationalization strategy aiming at increasing the quantity of foreign buyers coming from seventeen countries all over the world: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Belgium, Malta, Cyprus, Greece, France, Germany, England, Spain, Portugal, and Lebanon.

Among them are luxury boutiques, department stores, retail shops, online stores, chain stores, commercial agents, distributors and importers.

Underwear segment in Italy

By September 2015 there have been 1,810 active underwear production companies operating in Italy.  The region with the highest number of companies is Lombardy, which counts 429 enterprises and represents 24% of the Italian market, followed by Puglia and Campania. In the last five years, this segment has suffered a decline in the number of registered companies at the national level of about 18%.

In the period January-September 2015 the national level goods were exported with total value of over EUR 2 billion and EUR 329 million, an increase of 2.9% compared to the same period of 2014. The flows of exports are mainly directed to European countries (77.4%), with the slight decline of -0.6%. There is a considerable drop in the value of underwear, exported to Russia. The major export destination region is Asia.

Fashion trends

The trade fair presented a variety of fashion trends in lingerie for women and men fro the 2017 Autumn/Winter season, for sport, elegant, sensual, and luxurious underwear.

In the 2016/2017 Autumn-Winter collections exhibitors presented women’s lingerie products that featured various undersets, baby dolls, bras, slips, thongs, but also pyjamas and nightwear. The major players of underwear market have chosen to focus on sensuality, without sacrificing convenience and comfort.

Return to ‘curvy’ women

Bras transform into elegant tops and brazilian tanga become comfortable and sexy panties, in harmony with the coolest trends for the dynamic activities of life and sport. The comfortable underwear becomes a new trend for 2016/2017 season, alongside other novelties, such as a push-up bra with spacer cups, with or without underwire for a small breast effect.

The high waist slip corset has returned on the catwalk, it is becoming more and more present in the collections of shapewear, made with lightweight fabrics which are able to sculpt the silhouette, without being uncomfortable, ultra flat and invisible under the clothes.

Modern lines

The bras are offered in traditional shapes but also in a triangle and in the version of a corset, but the real protagonist of the 2016/2017 season is the bodysuit. Innovative interpretations are in the lines and in the details – for example, the satin stretch is used instead of the traditional elastic.

Nightwear is becoming more and more homewear, due to a variety of beautiful designs and fabrics available. Silk is the main material, which alternates with modal, while the warm cotton jersey switches the soft eco-friendly fur. Cotton is mixed with silk and cashmere, and soft chenille fabric and draping silks are used for the Dandy theme.

Socks and tights are of the highest quality, made with fine fibres, often embellished with strap or embroidered in an exceptionally soft way, guaranteeing the absolute comfort accompanied by a pleasant feeling of well-being.

Men’s fashion

Underwear, homewear and legwear collections are designed for a more and more exigent man who loves details and wants to be well and comfortably dressed.

Garments clinging to the body like a second skin, soft to the touch and extremely comfortable. Natural fabrics, wool, silk, breathable and temperature-controlled in natural way for dry skin. Sophisticated styles and modern details.

www.immagineitalia.org