SPECIAL PROJECTS, UP-AND-COMING BRANDS, NEW DESIGNERS, INNOVATIVE LOCATIONS, SPECIAL GUESTS AND HIGHLIGHTS ON SUSTAINABILITY TURN WHITE MILANO INTO THE NERVE CENTRE OF TOMORROW’S READY-TO-WEAR
The upcoming edition of WHITE MILANO, due to open on 19th September 2019, is exceptionally momentous. Owing to the new location – in the hub in Tortona 31 Opificio, Ex Carrozzeria – and to the several projects involving exhibitors, buyers and media partners – for example a new format in collaboration with CBI – but also, and most importantly, owing to the quality of the brands on show, the first-rate designers at the Trade show, the new course undertaken by the Basement and the focus on sustainability, an increasingly central theme in fashion system, and also to the initiative in connection with Regione Sicilia, which will bring into the limelight the most remarkable and innovative Sicilian brands. With a +4% increase in the number of brands on show (compared to the latest edition) and an exhibiting surface of 23thousand square meters (4,5% more than in September 2018), the trade show, under the aegis of the Municipality of Milan, is the go-to platform for contemporary womenswear, thanks also to the support of MISE and ITA Agency and to the partnership with Confartigianato Imprese, also thanks to the relentless international scouting activity carried out by WHITE, which has reached as far as the Far East, and allows buyers to find at the trade show new, cutting-edge brands like Gayeon Lee, Barragán, Nashe, Agarw-Ūd, FILLES A PAPA and, from China, YOUPPIE!, Damowang, Selah, Pingsi Zhou and AMNUE. Among the September highlights: Laura Aparicio, Ancient Greek Sandals, Yuliya Magdych, Agua de Coco por Liana Thomaz, as well as labels like Pipatchara, Base Mark, Lu Ren Cashmere, Estebanot, Stella Tures. Among the important labels making a comeback in September: Faliero Sarti, Transit Par-Such, Pierre-Louis Mascia, Roberto Collina, Sofie D’Hoore, Attic and Barn, OOF WEAR, Salvatore Santoro, Rundholz Black Label & Dip.
ITA has believed in WHITE since its very onset, the Trade-Show that promotes contemporary fashion – a segment featuring premium, highly specialized and highly creative small and medium-sized businesses, capable of taking up the challenge of the global markets and win. The collaboration with Confartigianato has allowed to boost the numbers over the last four years, both in terms of visitors and international insiders, reinstating the Show as an appointment that cannot be missed in the arena of global fashion events, as well as a shining example of synergy between the private and the public sector. The crucial role of ITA (Italian Trade Agency) is also to support the internationalization of the SMEs of the fashion business on the international markets, and White is an excellent tool to do so», declares Roberto Luongo, ITA’s general manager.
What’s more, the early opening on Thursday 19th (instead of Friday) enables a strategic synchronicity with the calendar of the womenswear fashion week and the other major fashion events. The timing also allows exhibitors to benefit from the presence of the many international insiders in Milan during the fashion week. This is a further step in the right direction to bolster the centrality of the show, which confirms WHITE and Tortona Fashion District’s standing as dynamic and vital hub during Milan’s fashion week.
Year after year, the collaboration between WHITE and the Municipality of Milan proves to be an
essential element for the success of the Milano Fashion Week – so Cristina Tajani, Councillor for
Labour, Productive Activities, Fashion and Design of the Municipality of Milan – A collaboration
that is grounded on the common determination to back and promote new designers and fashion
businesses, which at WHITE can find an ideal stage to launch the outcome of their creativity and their
language, but, most importantly, on a collateral action aiming to promote the birth of a new way of
conceiving fashion and the whole production cycle. The latter, today more than ever, must be sustainable
and ethical, capable of coming up with environment-friendly collections and products, with emphasis on
working conditions too. A challenge that WHITE and the Municipality of Milano have decided to take up
together over the last few years.
Today, both among buyers and end-users, there is growing awareness in terms of sustainability
and responsibility, as well as a greater focus on hand-made products. WHITE MILANO backs this
trend by bringing to the fore the small and medium-sized companies that, owing to their
structure, hold great ethical and social value, they are sustainable in itself and represent the
backbone of the Country, so as to promote them with the wider public that regularly comes to the
trade-fair.
The collaboration between Confartigianato and WHITE – states the President Giuseppe Mazzarella, representative for Internationalization at Confartigianato Imprese – epitomizes an important international stage for Italy’s craftsmanship excellence. Fashion is the strength of the made in Italy, thanks to the contribution made by the 79thousand micro and small businesses that employ 372thousand people and export for a value of 10,3 billion euro. The Italian small-sized apparel, footwear, textile businesses export twice as much as their counterparts in Germany, France, Spain and United Kingdom together. This performance confirms the values expressed by our artisan entrepreneurs and the huge contribution they make to made-in-Italy fashion. They are an incentive that spurs the young generations to express their creativity in a sector with solid economic outlook.
Alongside these assets, the Special projects designed by the Trade show, starting from Munè – brand launched by Japanese designer Munenori Uemuro – which has been selected as the edition’s Special Guest; the Special Project Boyish, Californian womenswear brand that looks to the future, thanks to its contemporary design and sustainable production, Guest Designer nana-nana, from Japan, and the collateral travelling installation: Akira Art Wall Project x nana-nana – Katsuhiro Otomo x Kosuke Kawamura. Last but not least, the sinuous leggy girls illustrator Lucia Emanuela Curzi has specially created for WHITE.
In a time of transformation of our sector – so Massimiliano Bizzi, Founder of WHITE – WHITE’s strategy, season after season, relies on the syntony with the changes under way, such as our resolve to focus on sustainability. All the projects and the collaborations of the trade show aim, besides being business-oriented, to promote the fashion culture, a pivotal aspect in times of transition like this one. Throughout the womenswear fashion week, Milan shows to be increasingly central on the worldwide stage, also owing to its remarkable ability to keep evolving and innovating.
Among this edition’s great projects, the collaboration between WHITE and the revamped Camera Buyer Italia has given way to a new format, with the contribution of Regione Lombardia, which aims to internationally promote the top shops located across the region Lombardy, by selecting and showcasing the brands at the September 2019 edition. Thanks to the project Contemporary Window – at Tortona 31/Archiproducts, in the heart of the Tortona Fashion District – design meets fashion to internationally promote the synergy between Lombardy’s brands and top retailers. The 12 top buyers at the Trade show are Banner (Milan) with Bethany Williams; Base Blu (Varese) with Alessandra Rich; Bernardelli (Mantua) with Jejia; Biffi Boutiques (Milan) with Eudon Choi; Cose (Cremona) with MCLXX Street Couture; Il Sellaio (Casatenovo) with Rotate; Lattuada (San Vittore Olona) and Ganni; Mantovani (Carate Brianza) with Saloni; Penelope (Brescia) with Natasha Zinko; Rail (Brescia) with Marine Serre; The Corner.com by Tony Boutique (Magenta) with Stand and Tessabit (Como) with Nanushka. In this emotionally striking scenario, the coolest brands – selected by the CBI top buyers – will be displayed in the windows of the location in Tortona 31 with specially selected outfits; meanwhile special multimedia installations will illustrate the stories and the heritage of the retail world. The first floor of Archiproducts, turns into a meeting and networking point, where the top Italian and international buyers and the worldwide press can converge. The media partner of this innovative cross-connection formula is Lampoon. (Press release attached).
The appointment with Give a Fok-us, WHITE’s sustainable hub, is back. Under the artistic direction of Matteo Ward, and with the media partnership of LIFEGATE, it has expanded so much that today it takes up the new location in Tortona 31 | Ex Carrozzeria, and is divided into five theme areas: Water, Chemicals, Climate Change, Waste, People, analysing the relationship between fashion and sustainable production. Each section is combined with a fist-rate protagonist: Water with Boyish; Chemicals with the Analytical Group; Waste with Econyl, among the Italian players that have revolutionized fashion on a global scale; Traceability with Albini Group, Oritain and Supima, with their innovative technology for the traceability of cotton; People with Fashion Revolution, so as to raise awareness on sustainable fashion. The hub also enjoys the by now consolidated presence of Fondation Pistoletto-Cittadellarte, with the hub Fashion B.E.S.T. and designers Tiziano Guardini, WRÅD by Silvia Giovanardi, Flavia La Rocca, Yekaterina Ivankova; Fabrizio Consoli – Blue of a kind; ACBC – Thezipshoe. Also for this edition WHITE / GIVE A FOKus supports the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by world leaders at the United Nations through educational and cultural work promoted in synergy also with the Pistoletto Foundation – Cittadellarte.
Along its exhibiting paths, the trade show pursues its creative narration, with an eye to the different facets of sustainability. The project Ibrigu was not founded to cater to the market requirements, rather, it stems from the need to show something extremely beautiful that has been forgotten. A small, family-run business with a passion for sartorial apparel and special focus on “Made in Italy” and “hand-made” fashion. Montegallo is a handmade feast of timeless straw accessories. Designed by Alice Catena, all the pieces are hand-made in Italy according to the century-old craftsmanship tradition of the Marche. Roberto Collina’s knitwear is today a well-balanced mix of state-of-the-art technology and craftsmanship, whose fil rouge is the use of premium materials and noble fibres. This high-end brand is sold worldwide owing to the contemporary flair and design of its collections. Closed denim has soon garnered international acclaim thanks to premium denim, innovative design and utmost care for details, as well as an on-going research aimed to an increasingly sustainable production and footprint reduction. Established in 2015, NA-KD, in a matter of a few years, has become one of the main fashion actors. The Swedish start-up is already one of the most acclaimed fashion brands worldwide, both online and on Instagram. The brand’s mission is to trespass the borders imposed by the fashion trends and show its followers what it means to be unique and stand out from the crowd, offering leading-edge fashion with a witty twist. Two Women Two Men is going to display at WHITE MILANO a collection featuring a marked denim identity with a mix of contaminations and styles. The brand, belonging to Compagnia del Denim, manufactures in the textile and apparel district of Regione Marche. I LOVE MY PANTS – the new made-in-Italy brand of the group Gironacci Arduino – relies on hand-made details and utmost care for design, where craftsmanship and industry are hand in glove. The superior fabrics and excellent fit of the garments have enabled the brand to reach the top stores across the globe. WRÅD is a Focus Design company, founded by Matteo Ward, Victor Santiago and Silvia Giovanardi, dedicated to challenging the status quo through sustainable innovation and social change. Today it focuses on 4 synergic programs: training, innovation, liberation and communication.
WHITE Milano has chosen Munè as special guest of the September 2019 edition. This time WHITE’s international scouting has reached as far as Japan with designer Munenori Uemuro, who founded his brand in 2018. The Japanese designer’s inventiveness has begot this brand, featuring a perfect balance of uniqueness and effortlessness. The designer has found in Milan the ideal scenario for his creative adventure, and has elected the made-in-Italy owing to its manufacturing excellence. Munenori’s creativity is sparkplugged by female vintage folklore, with hints at the men’s workwear. Previously a designer for Jil Sander womenswear, Uemuro has imbued the blouse, the muse of his collections, with a new aesthetic connotation; his creations boast natural elegance, hand-made details and a smart fit, hence the signature item of every wardrobe lends itself to a wider interpretative spectrum under the banner of distinctive elegance. The materials elected to shape his designs are selected among the best Italian suppliers, like the shirt fabrics of Thomas Mason byAlbini.
Boyish lands at WHITE with its sustainable women’s denimwear. The Trade show has nominated it Special Project of the September edition in the framework of the focus on sustainability, which WHITE Milano has been staging for several seasons. The brand, created by Jordan Nodarse, is distributed in Europe by Gruppo Brama and has always been committed to using sustainable procedures to manufacture its goods. Jeans are made with sustainable fabrics and washes, through eco-friendly and cruelty-free processes. Furthermore, Boyish will also be one of the protagonists of the project Showroom Connection@WHITE and #Shareable, the enhanced communication formula under the creative direction of the Special Content Creation Unit of Condé Nast.
Essential and instantly recognizable design, stylish everyday accessories and careful selection of the materials, such as PVC and leather, are the keyword that have led WHITE MILANO to pick the Japanese brand nana-nana as Guest Designer of the September 2019 edition. Founded in 2007 by Hisato Takenouchi in Tokyo, the brand’s creative path has been clear-cut from the very onset, collaborating with international artists and brands to produce accessories, also limited edition ones, and designing everyday items with an artistic approach. In 2017 designer Takanohiro Okude joined the label, his creativity stirred by music, art and design. We owe to him the creation of the iconic paper size A and B bag, inspired, as the name suggests, by the most popular formats of paper. nananana presents, in Tortona 31, the Akira Art Wall Project x nana-nana Katsuhiro Otomo x Kosuke Kawamura, a travelling installation created to celebrate one of the most famous manga cyberpunks in the world, Akira, conceived by Otomo Katsuhiro in 1982, alongside the works by Kosuke Kawamura and the presentation of a limited-edition bag inspired by Akira’s art.
The successful project Showroom Connection @WHITE and the collaboration with Vogue Italia with the project #Shareable, under the creative direction of the Special Content Creation Unit of WHITE MILANO – Offices in via Tortona 27 – 20144 Milano – press@whiteshow.it – www.whiteshow.com – Tel. 02/34 59 27 85 Condé Nast involves, at this edition, brands like the Special Guest Munè; the Special Project Boyish; Laura Aparicio; FILLES A PAPA; the Guest Designer nana-nana; TPN e TPN X Lotto, Ancient Greek Sandals, Yuliya Magdych, Agua de Coco por Liana Thomaz. They have the chance to harness a brand-new and innovative communication mode that caters to the brands’ need for great online visibility through highly appealing photo and video contents, and offline, at the trade show, thanks to the highly creative exhibiting space, fine-tuned with the latest visual trends.
The dialogue between WHITE MILANO and the international showrooms is based on geographical areas: leading-edge Belgian fashion is on show at the trade show in the framework of the acclaimed project The Belgian Focus, thanks to the partnership with Flanders DC, the platform that supports and promotes creative Belgian labels. Among the new talents in the hub in Superstudio Più, Nous and Âme, the aesthetic suggestions of Alicia Audrey and Monsieur Maison, GO AS U.R. A section dedicated to the most consequential Estonian expressions thanks to the connection with Fashionavant Showroom, which brings us the likes of August, Kristel Kuslapuu, Triinu Pungits, Lilli Jahilo, Kriss Soonik and Tanel Veenre Jewellery. The designers are on display in a Special Area of the Basement, one of the most treasured hubs by international insiders. Again at the Basement, the Russian showroom Dear Progress with Barragan, Nashe, Gauntlett Cheng, SECTION8, Wekafore, TTSWRTS, Chrishabana and Omut. The Brazilian Consulate General in Milan, in collaboration con the showroom Senato 13, heralds the arrival in Italy of “Brazil Summer Fashion Milan”, section that gathers Brazilian brands from the North to the South of the country, as well as Brazilian fashion designers based in Italy. This edition takes us on a journey to discover the likes of: Room, Agua de Coco por Liana Thomaz, Amanda Medrado, Iorane, Maria Pavan, Matri, Thais Bernardes. Also Portugal is at WHITE Milano with the creativity of Gonçalo Peixoto, Péde Chumbo, Traces of Me, Vestir by Susana Bettencourt and Inês Torcato. This exceptional medley of exponents from the “Portuguese wave” has become a consolidated appointment at the fair, and, edition after edition, it comes back with names already known to WHITE’s public and insiders, and others to be discovered. Nora Aytch represents the Arabian fashion culture at the trade show. Her presence results from the collaboration with Diala Makki, prominent journalist and media personality from the Middle East, who promotes the Arabian culture throughout the world.
WHITE Milano, additionally, is the only Italian ready-to-wear show in the fashion system to have an area fully dedicated to beachwear, and not only this. Along its exhibiting paths, the trade show enhances its creative focus on the Summer with a wealth of highlights dedicated to the trends of the hot season. In September 2019, WHITE Beach is back on the first ground of the Art Point in Tortona 27, enhanced through a new set of features, so as to offer the most comprehensive spectrum to visitors through an increasingly targeted and buyer-oriented format, capable of grabbing the international insiders’ attention. What’s more, also the hubs of Superstudio Più, Ex WHITE MILANO – Offices in via Tortona 27 – 20144 Milano – press@whiteshow.it – www.whiteshow.com – Tel. 02/34 59 27 85 Ansaldo | BASE in Tortona 54 and Nhow hotel in Tortona 35 are studded with new aesthetic expressions for the Spring/Summer 2020, with swimwear, apparel, footwear and accessories brands, whose fil rouge is the summer mood.
The Basement is one of WHITE Milano’s go-to hubs, owing to its legendary exhibitions and because, over the time, it has become one of the events that worldwide insiders cannot miss, in which they can find the most leading-edge designers and eclectic brands. Thanks to the WHITE’s international scouting, the Basement invariably comes up with fresh interpretations, bringing to the fore trailblazing collections, also thanks to the presence of international showrooms like Fashionavant Showroom and Dear Progress.
Inside WHITE has been specially designed to connect the fashion talents with the top buyers at the show. Since its very onset, the hub has become a pivotal event for the insiders who regularly come to WHITE, as here they can find new brands and ground-breaking fashion. Each edition is marked by the Inside WHITE Award, prize awarded, exclusively at the discretion of an internationally acclaimed buyer, to the brand that has best interpreted the evolution of the new trends. At this edition, Federico Giglio, owner of Giglio (Palermo), will chose the winner label among the exhibitors of Inside White section, to assign the award.
At Tortona 54 ex Ansaldo | BASE, the section Focus on Accessories comes back with a new and fancy scenic design, an ideal scenario for the creativity of IOEF’s made-in-Italy bags, and Bavash accessories. WHITE Jewels at Superstudio Più showcases the sparkling creations of the Danish brand BJØRG and of the Italian talent Noshi. The area Showroom 31 offers a brand mix that caters to every need, starting from Danhera Italy fragrances to Ab-Ove’s jewels, from Eremo’s bags to the apparel by Queen Moda Positano, from the jewels by Francesca Bianchi Design to Adrianhats’s hats.
WHITE STUDIO is the hub that gathers the new frontiers of the Asian cutting-edge womenswear, acclaimed by celebrities and with solid social media presence. Making the most of the international creativity and innovation has driven WHITE MILANO to purse its scouting activity in the Far East too, above all, in China. Indeed, this year too, the Asian fashion design is all set to land at White Show with a striking contingent of talents. WHITE STUDIO, the hub designed for artists in residence, is home to the creative expressions of YOUPPIE!, Damowang, Selah, Pingsi Zhou and AMNUE. In September 2019 the appointment is in Tortona 54, Ex Ansaldo | BASE.
The South, as ever a cradle of creativity and fashion, is at the Trade show with a new project developed by WHITE in collaboration with the Sicilian region – Department for Productive Activities funded by PO FESR (European Fund for Regional Development). The Yes Sicily area brings to the limelight approximately 30 of the most noteworthy and innovative brands from Sicily, on show in the Tortona Fashion District.
This edition – so Paola Bonetti, WHITE’s Commercial Director – with the show’s trade team, we have decided to rely on a selection of international designers with marked stylistic appeal, to cater to the needs of increasingly knowledgeable buyers. What’s more, to support our exhibitors, we have develop and launch projects and customized services for the brands, targeting both the buyers and the press, in order to keep backing the labels that at WHITE can find the ideal platform to do business.
Among the consolidated brands at this edition of the trade show, Essentiel, Belgian eclectic and highly creative brand, which started off with four T-shirts, and today can count on 40 flagship stores and a network of 1000 points of sale across the globe, thanks to its core values: emotion, originality, luxury and integrity. Spin-off of Marella, belonging to the group Max Mara, the project ART. ART.365 Marella makes season-less and crease-resistant design items. Ideal for being worn around the clock, they are innovative both from a creative and functional perspective, as the models are easy-to-care and essential in style. Another asset of Marella is iBlues, a sensual and feminine label, featuring smart shapes and shades, designed for a curious, daring, fashion-oriented young woman. American Vintage’s easy wear features natural fabrics, such as Pima cotton for the soft Tshirts and made-in-Italy yarns for the cocoon sweaters. The ultra-denim outfits are comfy and ecofriendly. La Cabane de Stella draws inspiration from the craftsmanship tradition and a rich heritage of hand-made fabrics and ancient techniques from across the globe. The sun-dried dyed or printed textiles result in soft fabrics suggestive of the colours of nature. The prints decorate both the interior design and the prêt-à-porter collection.
We are aware of the market challenges that small and medium-sized fashion business are facing; since WHITE is the most important trade show to represent them, we are grateful to MISE (Ministry for Economic Development) and ITA (Italian Trade Agency) for the constant support given since now – declares Brenda Bellei, CEO of M.Seventy, organizer of WHITE – Considering that in Italy 90% of the textile-apparel segment is represented by SMEs, I hope that in the next future we can work even more closely with the institutions. In view of the great social and economic changes under way across the globe, WHITE’s strategy is to take steps down new paths that can generate new economies, like circular economy and sustainability. On these grounds I advocate the extension and expansion of the new WSM event in January and June, which represents its go-to platform.
WHITE adds a further highlight to the September 2019 show: the pure and energetic stroke of polyhedral illustrator and art director Lucia Emanuela Curzi. She will dot some areas within the show with an installation specially designed for WHITE, featuring her elegant, highly individual style, bold black Indian ink lines and sudden flashes of colour. Protagonist of the London and Milan creative scene, Lù has already created for the trade show the iconic image of the next season: a lithe and sinuous leggy girl, which perfectly mirrors the aesthetic and scouting philosophy of WHITE MILANO. Lù’s creative contribution to WHITE goes well beyond the campaign image. Thanks to her sharp eye and bold pencil, the illustrator has also sketched four female icons, which embody the several souls of the trade show: contemporary, business-oriented, young and glam, and street & fashion.
