Made in Italy takes off
Anfao(Italian Optical Goods Manufacturers' Association), and ICE (Foreign Trade Institute) in concert with the Ministry of International Trade, are pleased to present a worldwide preview. For the very first time, a flight en route from New York to Milan will feature a catwalk of the finest Italian eyewear production. The guests will be about 30 leading U.S. fashion and accessories journalists who will be offered an exclusive preview of 2008 trends in Made In Italy eyewear. This will be a special sneak preview of the collections that will be found among the offerings atMido , the world's leading eyewear exhibition which is due to open tomorrow. Here, journalists arriving from New York will be able to meet the companies from the catwalk and visit the Show which for some years now is recognized as the one and only appointment for the industry.
Aboard an Airbus A319, operated by the Italian Eurofly airline company, and with Deputy President of Anfao, Dan Levi in attendance, 41 Italian companies will present more than 100 styles selected from among the new collections for the 2008 season, including numerous limited edition items, all Made in Italy.
This very special catwalk will be presented by the sparkling Kristen Grove of the Kris&Kris duo, a model and vj on MTV, and a solo singer for a few years now. It is the result of the vast experience of Anfao and Ice which, for some time in cooperation with the Ministry for International Trade, have been promoting all-Italian eyewear catwalks worldwide, from Paris to New York and from Moscow to Shanghai.
An exclusive event where U.S. journalists will truly get a first-hand view in the nacelle and touch all the creativity and genius of Italian eyewear. A genius that derives from the perfect combination of the oldest artisan skills and the most leading-edge technical expertise and that is expressed in the sublime ability to reconcile the most advanced guidelines of design, shape and color with superior quality standards. This ability is also pursued through the non-stop research efforts in this international market that have earned Italy its worldwide reputation.
With export volumes of frames and sunglasses amounting to more than 76 million pieces, for an overall value in excess of €2,070 million, Italy is the worldwide leader in the medium-high segment. In the United States (the leading export market for Italian eyewear at more than 27% of total exports and almost 13 million pairs of sunglasses) overall exports of sunglasses-prescription eyewear amounted to +13.2% over 2005. In a broader context, all of the American area accounts for approx. 32.2% of Italian eyewear exports, up by 17.7% over 2005.
