MIPEL is preparing to live the 115 edition, with research, memory, innovation and technology at the service of all-round sustainability.
MIPEL has no need to be introduced or explained: 115 editions have unquestionably decreed the role of the most important international event dedicated to bag addicted, which each edition brings together over 350 brands and more than 12,000 visitors from around the world. The 2019 edition will also see 50 new exhibitors, including La Martina, John Richmond and Cabin Zero, and sees about twenty returns of excellence, including Valigeria Roncato and Caterina Lucchi, who have chosen MIPEL to present their collections. With great satisfaction of the organizers, the Discord by Yohji Yamamoto brand has also confirmed its presence in a more important location. The central theme of MIPEL, this year, is sustainability in all its forms: environmental, social and labor, to begin with. This fits perfectly with the renewed sensitivity that the fashion world is having towards these issues. The commitment to sustainability is a mission for Assopellettieri – the promoter of MIPEL – which aims to develop a sensitization path also to represent a point of reference for leather goods companies that will develop an increasingly virtuous behavior to the new. Environmental awareness is the cornerstone of projects and initiatives that MIPEL proposes for this edition, also included in creative solutions. The creations of the artist Enrica Borghi, the result of the recovery of materials that our society refuses and discards, will enrich some exhibition areas. MIPEL becomes an original exhibition place where these extraordinary works make an important contribution to the concept of sustainability. During the event, the artist will also present the performance “Parade. Recycling Warriors Object “in which masks, armor and armor made from forgotten materials come to life thanks to the bodies of the dancers of the Mcf Belfiore Danza dance school in Turin.
Let’s see which will be the areas of MIPEL 2019, with its different scenarios.
SCENERY: MIPEL’S CREATIVE HUB
For the 115 edition, the special section of SCENERY, dedicated to international designers and the coolest brands, is enriched with new spaces and new protagonists. An area where the meeting between emerging designers and leading companies in the leather goods sector is supported.
SCENERY, MIPEL TAILOR MADE and THE CAPSULE PROJECT
In the square of SCENERY a special exhibition will enhance the proposals of ‘MIPEL TAILOR MADE’, the project strongly desired by Assopellettieri to support the ‘Made in Italy’ in the world. The craftsmanship of important leather goods companies meets the talent of innovative designers for the creation of five ‘capsule collections’, a manifesto of the future of leather goods. Of the five collaborations presented in this edition, two are at their international debut: Athison and Bav Tailor together for the first time with, respectively, Valentino Orlandi and Andrea Ciccolo. The Laurafed brand returns to MIPEL with its new partner Ripani. Arcadia and Irma Cipolletta and Claudia Firenze renew their collaboration with Annalisa Caricato.
INTERNATIONAL SCENERY
Sponsored by Camera Nazionale Moda Italiana, INTERNATIONAL SCENERY presents itself as from different editions as the privileged place to present a functional synergy between Italian creativity and foreign markets. Three buyers among the most representative of the international scene support four young Italian designers abroad: the Japanese Hinka Rinka presents Amine S1 and Miss Paloma, the Korean Alan’s is linked to Paoli while the Korean Rare Tag adopts Mink.
THE STREETSTYLE AREA AND THE TRENDS
MIPEL 115 also sees the expansion of the section dedicated to trends, thus becoming a trendy outpost for the future. The area, located inside the central corridor of SCENERY, interprets three concepts: PERFORMER, MASTER, SWIFTER. Thanks to the collaboration with UNIC – Concerie Italiane – visitors will be able to closely observe and touch the leathers and products. The preparation of the space is designed to be a point of exploration of raw materials, some of which are created with a particular focus on sustainability. The Glammy Boulevard will also host the special guests of the 115th edition of MIPEL: Vivienne Westwood and the international magazine The Good Life with their eco-friendly projects. Philosophy and respect for the planet of the British designer moved from the catwalk to MIPEL, chosen by Vivienne Westwood as a preferred partner to present some of his projects. Two lines will then be on show for the link between Westwood and the environment: the “African Ethical Bag” collection, created by a project supported by the UN and developed thanks to the work of African women and the reuse of materials. The vegan collection, a reinterpretation of some iconic models of the brand revisited with sustainable and vegan materials. In addition to the bags, MIPEL will also host the “Clima Bottle” collection, created with 24BOTTLES, a special line of flasks born to show the effects of climate change on the future of the planet. In addition, MIPEL hosts the photographic exhibition “Acqua passata” by Luca Peruzzi, born thanks to the special collaboration with the business and lifestyle magazine: The Good Life Italy, which coincides with the event with its first special issue Centopercento Moda with several in-depth analysis including sustainability. Inside the Glammy Boulevard, historical space dedicated to special projects, it will be possible to admire the photos of the Peruzzi photographer, which highlights the work, the research and the care of the raw material – the skin – in the Chiampo valley, the largest and an important leather district in Italy. Thanks to an artistic language, the Vicenza photographer highlights the great attention to the territory in terms of environmental and production impact and makes us reflect on the issue of environmental sustainability so dear to the tanning sector and its supply chain. Sustainability in all its forms, we said. With this in mind, Assopellettieri and MIPEL are also committed to the social front by supporting the “LeaTher’S Work” project, the leather workshop of the “Il Girasole” Social Cooperative in Florence which, with the aim of supporting those in difficulty, encourages ‘teaching of a job and social integration. In a new format that aims to enhance social sustainability, MIPEL becomes the leader of a project that has allowed the cooperative to buy a specific machine and to extend the opening hours of the educational-training-professional laboratory in the leather goods sector in favor of people with disabilities, psychiatric or psychosocial discomfort. The project, made possible thanks to the collaboration of UNIC-Concerie Italiane and YKK ITALIA SpA, historical partners of Assopellettieri and MIPEL, provides for the creation of 200 leather shoppers and mini-pochettes made with the material provided by the Associazione Conciaria and by YKK, with a view to reusing raw materials and enhancing the individual components of the product. The project will be told through a video made in Florence with the students of the laboratory and its partners, and will also be visible to MIPEL in a special area set up to give maximum visibility to the social value of the initiative. MIPEL is linked to WAMI – Water with a Mission, a startup that was born with a simple but significant mission: to end the global water problem. Each WAMI bottle finances a water development project in villages without access to water. By inserting the code on the site on the packaging, you can see the beneficiary family with your own eyes. WAMI will be present at MIPEL with a stand where, thanks to a virtual reality viewer wearable by everyone, the impact of the arrival of water will be visible in a village in Senegal, beneficiary of one of the WAMI projects. Of course, MIPEL also proposes itself as a meeting place and a cultural exchange between subjects from different sectors who, through a rich program of workshops open to the public organized during the days of the event, will be able to deal with various topics. On February 12th, at 3.30 pm, it will be able to attend the workshop “Cambiamo pelle”. Sustainability between historicity and innovation “. A meeting in which Nicola Giuggioli, CEO of Eco-Age will talk about sustainability in terms of marketing and communication, in which he is among the top experts thanks to his experiences with international brands such as Nike and Gucci. The meeting will be moderated by Aldo Tempesti, CEO of Texclubtech, one of the most qualified pioneers of research on innovative materials, some of which are sustainable. Bav Tailor and Maria Lamanna will be present: two international designers who have chosen, with their brands, to marry the cause of sustainability. The fuorisalone is historically an important part of the kermesse, and in fact continues the close relationship of MIPEL with the city of Milan with the involvement of an exceptional partner: Coin of Piazza Cinque Giornate. For a week, from 10 to 17 February 2019 the multistore will be the showcase of the five Capsule Collection, “limited edition” collections created thanks to the collaboration between established leather goods companies and emerging designers. The partnerships of this edition feature the following brands: Athison and Bav Tailor, Valentino Orlandi and Andrea Ciccolo, Laurafed with Ripani, Arcadia and Irma Cipolletta, Claudia Firenze with Annalisa Caricato. The collections will be hosted in an area dedicated to the ground floor of Coin and can be purchased by the public. Once again MIPEL proposes itself as the creator of a direct link between exhibitors, retailers and final public. On the evening of 11th February, at the Globe restaurant, on the top floor of Coin, there will be an exclusive party that will light the spotlight on this extraordinary collaboration. Media partner of the event will be Vanity Fair, the weekly leader in the creation of new fashion trends. Last but not least, ICE-Agenzia, Ministry of Economic Development and MIPEL also work together to continue the internationalization process of the event and support ‘Made in Italy’ in the world. There will be 37 top incoming buyers, coming from Korea, Japan, Russia and Europe.