Italy’s fashion industry demands lift of lock-down to avoid complete destruction

Conte said that only stationery stores, bookstores and stores for infants and children will be free to open on April 14, as well as professional studios, and has allowed a number of industries to restart, including including forestry and components.

Fashion was not included and, on Saturday, the Italian daily La Repubblica published a paid advertisement for the country’s Camera della Moda, signed by its president Carlo Capasa. In this document, he refers to the way in which, with the Italian Association of luxury companies Altagamma and Confindustria Moda, the associations have pooled their expertise to offer the government a number of measures which, we hope, will be “quickly and easily implemented ”

In the open letter, Capasa pointed out how long fashion production cycles are and, even if it were just to respect the lockdown, the closure until May 3 could “risk destroying” the sector. “If we do not reopen before April 20, we will not have the technical time to deliver the fall / winter collections that are to be shipped worldwide by July. We will not be able to produce the spring / summer 2021 collections for the sales campaign which will take place in June, which [this year] will be done remotely, ”said Capasa.

This is a mandatory step to allow production, followed by delivery to stores worldwide in December and January. The ruling will also not allow companies to prepare collections for the September shows. “The question at this point is: are we ready to lose the industry that is our symbol? Losing the role of world leader? “

In the first part of the letter, Capasa noted that fashion remains largely an unknown world for those who live outside it and are not aware of its “true values ​​and real mechanisms”. Stressing that Italy is the leading country in Europe in terms of production of textiles, fashion and accessories, accounting for 41 percent of manufacturing on the continent.  “The time has come to preserve our industry and to be more proud of it than ever.”

Warning of the loss of hundreds of thousands of skilled and skilled jobs, Capasa said the associations were aware of the caution necessary to balance health and the economy, but said companies in the industry had put in place of safety regulations and protections. He also recalled how part of the supply chain was converted “in record time” to produce masks and medical suits, “with passion and generosity”.

However, “if we are to continue having a fashion industry in Italy, we must immediately restart fashion production with the pride of doing so not only for ourselves but also for future generations of this wonderful country.”

As noted, over the past month, several fashion associations and retailers have expressed concerns about the lockout. Last month, the Camera della Moda submitted to the government a document detailing a number of proposals for action in favor of the fashion industry, ranging from reducing tax and social charges to contain labor costs. work of companies affected by the crisis, to the taxation of incentives and direct aid to small and medium-sized enterprises, including artisans, to avoid crushing the typical structure of Italy, to name a few- some

With a turnover of 90 billion euros and 600,000 workers, the fashion industry is the second largest in the country and represents 41% of production in Europe, followed by Germany, which represents 11% of the total.

Giorgio Armani new store in Milan at Via Sant’Andrea