Footwear fair Micam returns from February 19 to 22, 2023 at Fiera Milano for its 95th edition. In the light of encouraging signs of an upturn in the market, it was decided to reinstate the fair’s four-day format in order to offer exhibitors and Italian and international buyers more opportunities to network and to do business.
A total of 988 brands, including 451 foreign exhibitors, will be showcasing their products. New entries at this edition include Alberto Guardiani, Buffalo Boots, Cult, Kenneth Cole, Luciano Padovan, and Oxs.
The Micam X area is confirmed at Pavilion 1 with a completely new layout designed to offer visitors a unique opportunity to gen up on issues of key importance for the industry thanks to distinguished guests, best practice and important international speakers, covering four main themes: trends & materials, sustainability, art fashion heritage & future and the future of retail.
Within the Micam X space, the Trends & Materials area, set up in collaboration with Lineapelle, will take the form of a display of materials and components featured in the FW 23- 24 collections. The area was devised in conjunction with a new tool for buyers: the Trends Buyer Guide powered by Livetrend, a guide to trends and must-haves for the next FW season that helps buyers identify the season’s best-sellers and optimise their purchases.
In the next edition there will be a new area dedicated to the future of retail and it will host companies that produce avant-garde technologies for the world of footwear retail while remaining people-oriented. According to Micam X the retail of the future is hybrid: people will continue to play a key role and will be increasingly aided by technology. Customer profiling, augmented reality, and live shopping experiences with virtual influencers are both enabling and increasingly indispensable. Futureclo will present the magic mirror, a technology that allows customers to try on clothes and shoes virtually in real-time. Dtech Lab, Bambuser and an Offbeat virtual influencer will make it possible to simulate a live shopping experience, with a camera revealing products created by the Emerging Designers that can be commented on live on the Bambuser platform. Footwearology will offer an AI-powered immersive experience revealing visuals of the shoe shop of the future. The Footwearist will present an example of on-demand manufacturing thanks to two 3D printers for the creative/design part, offering visitors the possibility of seeing and touching the finished styles. Lastly, Zakeke will provide a 3D Configurator enhancing the customer experience with virtual 3D models ready to be customised.
The issue of sustainability as addressed by Micam X will reach its apotheosis in a new area dedicated to VCS Verified & Certified steps, the first certification mark for the footwear industry, awarded to companies that have embarked on a process of assessment, measurement, and above all, improvement of their corporate sustainability performance in line with internationally recognised standards.
As always, Micam gives space to young people and invests in initiatives aimed at promoting their talent.
Situated inside Micam X in Pav. 1 is an area dedicated to Emerging Designers, featuring the work of 12 creative designers from all over the world. Their creations range from rediscovery of age-old traditions to more extravagant research into forms and materials, with original style, mindful of the values of sustainability and brimming with influences from cultures all over the world. Selected by a highly qualified panel of experts, the Emerging Designers will present their concepts at the fair and recount their creative journey to trade professionals. The protagonists of this edition are: 10.2 (France), Ahdiid (Italy), Éhonté (USA), Felipe Fiallo (Ecuador), ID-Eight (Italy&Korea), Marianna Mazza (Italy), Salone Monet (USA), Selva (Spain), Shoe Shoe (France), Sophie Benel (France), Sucette (Italy), Vandrelaar (Great Britain).
This edition of Micam will once again include the Start Up area in Pav. 1 H01 dedicated to talented young entrepreneurs: emerging Italian companies abounding in creativity and curiosity about the world, who have chosen the footwear and fashion industry to express their revolutionary ideas. In collaboration with Startup Bootcamp with the support of Ita and Maeci.
Micam will host the final chapter in the #micamtales communication campaign that, from 2020 to today, has brought the enchanted world of fairy-tales to the trade fair, starting with Micam in Wonderland, followed by Micam Glass Slipper and concluding with Micam of Oz. It was this fantastic journey into a magical world that inspired the book “Scarpe da Favola” (“Fairy-tale Shoes”), promoted by Assocalzaturifici and produced in collaboration with Ita and Maeci. To mark the 95the edition of Micam, 95 Italian footwear companies were featured in the book, which will take the form of a digital displaythat can be seen in the Micam Tales Square in Pav. 3 over the four days of the event. Creativity, versatility, quality and beauty: these are the distinguishing features of fabulous Italian footwear.
Micam 95
February 19 to 22, 2023
Fiera Milano
strada statale del Sempione 28
20017 Rho (MI)
