7 July 2008, Florence - The 63rd edition of Pitti Filati (Florence, 2 ”“ 4 July 2008) closed by launching optimistic signals for the yarn industry.

“This has been a very positive edition of Pitti Filati”, comments Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine, “especially considering the delicate economic situation that is currently characterizing this sector.  There is no point in denying that the yarn industry is going through a very difficult phase, particularly with regard to the more mature markets, and the process of selectivity being carried out by clients has been felt even here, at the Fortezza da Basso, for several seasons.  However, this edition forcefully confirmed the important role played by Pitti Filati: it is a bastion that brings together and presents the best expressions of Italian and foreign yarns, the firms with the strongest focus on research and quality, those which are best equipped to cope with the international crisis.  In fact our companies confirmed that, throughout the three days of the event, they were able to meet with their most important clients and that very good work was carried out in terms of orders for next season.  The quality and research we showcased at the fair give us cause to look towards the coming months with optimism: the Spazio Ricerca Turbonatura, curated by  Angelo Figus and Nicola Miller, and the new Eco-Equo-Friendly area, curated by Ornella Bignami, enjoyed a great success with the visitors that included creatives and style bureaus from major brands and the most important names in fashion such as Armani, Balenciaga, Benetton, Calvin Klein, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Ferragamo, Gucci, Prada, Valentino and Ralph Lauren, just to mention a few”.

 The final attendance figures show a total of 5,527 buyers, a slight decrease with respect to the last summer edition (6,215 buyers came in July 2007), of which 2,534 from abroad (foreign buyers now represent 46% of the total). Looking in more detail at the countries, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, France and the United States were once again in the lead and, despite the predictable decreases, there were positive performances from Russia, China, Poland, Turkey and Israel.   

Mention should also be made of the great amount of interest aroused by Eco-Equo-Friendly, the second edition of the workshop-project curated by Ornella Bignami, which turns the spotlights on biological yarns-textiles.  With the help of technology, this approach to production is involving the entire production chain more and more and has already launched a new concept in environmentally-sustainable luxury onto the market.

And finally, Vintage Selection n.12 (from 2 ”“ 4 July), the event dedicated to vintage collections and accessories held at the Stazione Leopolda in concomitance with Pitti Filati, was a great success with the public: around 4,500 vintage fashion enthusiasts took part in this edition (many of them designers and creatives visiting Florence for Pitti Filati).  The theme of this edition was “You Ginger, me Fred”: featuring the world of music and dance from the Forties up until the present day.