Italian footwear businesses sharpen focus on China

ROME - The Chinese market has been driving Italy's footwear exports in 2018 with a 20-percent growth, according to a study released at the 87th edition of MICAM, an international footwear exhibition that concluded in Milan last month.

Opened on Feb 10 by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio, who also serves as minister of economic development and labor, MICAM showcased 1,304 exhibitors in the luxury, contemporary, active, cosmopolitan, and children's segments, organizers said.

Of the exhibitors, 716 were Italian and 588 came from countries including Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Japan, Morocco, Spain, and Turkey, attending the trade fair that spread over 60,000 square meters, according to Annarita Pilotti, president of MICAM and of Italian footwear manufacturers association, Assocalzaturifici.