LINEAPELLE's strength moderates market concerns
"Despite the complex economic situation, LINEAPELLE 103, held at Fiera Milano Rho from February 20th to 22nd, 2024, celebrated the conclusion of a particularly vital edition that opens flashes of confidence for the leather, luxury, and design supply chain," expressed the official statement from the fair organization in its opening paragraphs.
There were 25,376 international sector operators who activated their interests and searched for novelties at the stands of 1,167 exhibitors from around the world. There, the new collections of leather and skins, textile and synthetic materials, components and accessories, and other items for the manufacture of footwear, leather goods, and clothing were presented. The set of offerings showed strong innovative research and a clear tendency towards market diversification, proposals, and destinations.
The influx of foreign buyers was significant (39% of the total), with a predominance of representatives from France, Spain, Germany, Great Britain, Türkiye, the United States, and China.
LINEAPELLE's vitality and its ability to open new horizons even in a particularly worrying market moment found expression and interest in all the contents that enriched the exhibition experience, starting with the success of the six Lineapelle Designers Edition fashion shows.
There were also very positive comments for the first edition of Lineapelle Interiors / Leather Duets, a business culture exhibition that presented a sequence of installations, each represented by an exclusive leather design project shared between a "Made in Italy" leather manufacturer and a furniture company.
Great attraction was caused by "In The Making Act II," an interconnected and multidisciplinary space where LINEAPELLE visitors could participate in a series of leather craft workshops. Also, the second edition of Science Based Fashion Talks, spaces for debate and exchange aimed at discovering and defining green strategies for the entire supply chain, had a good turnout.
After significant declines in the leather business, towards the end of 2023 in Italy, the negative economic trend that has characterized the sector's performance has not yet been interrupted.
Widespread inflation and the uncertainty generated by the growing international geopolitical tensions continue to fuel the decline in consumer confidence, whose decline implies, on the part of manufacturers, the search for alternative and lower-cost materials compared to leather.
In addition to this, there is a decrease in exports, compared to 2022. Different types of leather, produced in European countries, recorded a decrease in their sales, except for Türkiye and Pakistan, which showed a positive trend.
This sector also accounted for the decline in its productions and the loss of profitability, especially in the last quarter of 2023, due to the international context, in correspondence with the evolution of the manufacturing industry.
The downward trend also affects these industries, where the insufficient demand, which shows no signs of recovery, is reiterated. The exception has been automotive upholstery, where the purchase of leathers has increased due to the increase in automobile registrations in the United Kingdom, the United States, China, and India.
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