The 78th edition of Pitti Filati, the leading yarn trade fair that took place in Florence, from 27-29 January, ended in a lively and dynamic atmosphere, organisers report. Exhibitors and buyers alike expressed their satisfaction with this year’s edition of a fair that is consistently attracting more and more visitors.

“This has been a definitely positive and energetic edition of Pitti Filati. Our exhibitors confirmed not only excellent results in terms of attendance, but also huge satisfaction for the high quality of the visitors which translated into three intense days of work at the stands with orders and samples for next season booked by designers and representatives from the style bureaus of the world’s major names in fashion,” commented Raffaello Napoleone, Pitti Immagine CEO.

Attendance figures

Final attendance figures show a 2% increase in the number of buyers, compared to one year ago, bringing the total to 4,250.

The number of foreign buyers exceeded 1,800 (slightly more than last year), and the number of international firms grew by 5.5%. Taking individually, growth can be seen from nearly all the European markets (Great Britain +3.5%, Spain +4%, Germany and France +1% for the number of firms, Holland +7.5%), and this kind of growth extends to all the North European countries.

Excellent performance levels were delivered by the United States (+8%), Japan (with the number of companies up 5%), and a great rebound comeback from Russia with the number of buyers up 50%. China, Hong Kong and Turkey also maintained good turnouts. The Italian market enjoyed a 3.5% increase – an excellent result for the entire industry after a few seasons with low numbers of Italian buyers, according to organisers.

Trends and inspiration

“Pitti Filati speaks to the high end of the market which, not withstanding the uncertainties of the international scenarios, is still in a positive and dynamic phase, driven by a major emphasis on research and innovation, giving us – and the yarn industry in particular - great hopes for this year,” said Raffaello Napoleone.

“The fair also reaped excellent feedback about the Spazio Ricerca, entitled Materiality, that launched trends and provided inspiration for knitwear research as well as for the previews and special projects presented at this edition”.

www.pittimmagine.com