Italian fashion consolidates its position in Kazakhstan and Central Asia

By Trend

La Moda Italiana@Almaty in Almaty, Kazakhstan closed on a note of cautious optimism among Italian operators at the event, which was organised by Assocalzaturifici in partnership with the Italian fashion industry association EMI, Ente Moda Italia, with the support of the Italian Embassy, the practical assistance of ITA Agency, and in collaboration with the Italian Furriers’ Association AIP and the Italian leather goods association Assopellettieri, Trend reports.

The event held at Dom Priemov in Almaty April 6 through 8 registered significant numbers of local buyers: more than 200 from the provinces of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. 50 Italian fashion brands represented the best of Italian fashion at the event. The exhibition was completed with an evening event sponsored by MICAM Milano in the presence of His Excellency the Italian Ambassador to Nur-Sultan, Marco Alberti, preceded by a discussion of Fashion and sustainability: scenarios and trends in Italy and Kazakhstan, organised by the Italian Embassy in Nur-Sultan investigating the prospects of the market and the new drivers of sustainable consumption.

The event, attended by the entire Kazakh fashion community, focused on VCS Verified & Certified Steps certification, a project launched by Assocalzaturifici in the last edition of the fair in the new area MICAM Green Zone and presented for the occasion to an audience of more than 30 opinion leaders from Almaty, entrepreneurs, buyers, bloggers and influencers at LA PRIMA in Almaty with the participation of Lilia Rakh, an expert on fashion for 32 years and one of the world’s top 500 fashion leaders. The attenuation of the pandemic and the consequent upswing of international markets in 2021 has favoured recovery in Central Asia, as elsewhere.

With almost 207,000 pairs and an average price tag of 83.08 Euro a pair, exports to Kazakhstan registered a growth rate of +12.8% over the previous year in the first 11 months of 2021. The regions of Marche, Emilia Romagna and Lombardy manufacture three quarters of the footwear exported to the country. Almaty also represented an opportunity to establish contact with buyers in Uzbekistan, a market that has been growing for Italian exports in terms of both quantity (+31.6%) and value (+3.8%). Together, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan import Italian footwear worth more than 20 million Euro.