Milan Design Week will be postponed from April to June, 16th–21st 2020.
The change of date for the event is aimed to support the manufacturers who will be able to present their finalised work to an international public and hopefully welcome more visitors. The 2019 edition had hosted 2,200 exhibitors, recalled 386,000 visitors from 184 countries - of whose 30,000 were from China.
The newly designated dates will overlap with some key events related to fashion including Pitti Uomo and Milano Moda Uomo (Milan Menswear Shows). Pitti Uomo will take place from June, 16th to 19th, while Milano Moda Uomo in June 20th-24th.
SI has asked Raffaello Napoleone, CEO, Pitti Immagine, for a statement: “Considering what is happening in China and in our country, the change occurring for Milan Design Week and the consequent overlapping with our show was - in a way - an obliged choice, though it is only in part affecting us. In fact the two markets are different, our event is visited by insiders only and doesn’t recall consumers, and the professionals involved belong to two different worlds. Only in part some fashion designers also offering design pieces and furniture are involved with Milan Design Week. Moreover, our events cover much shorter time-spans and are mostly one-shot, while the Salone’s duration is longer, therefore, for instance, the press covering both segments can visit the two events in different moments,” Napoleone continues.
Pitti’s show organization, on its own side, will also have to face a hard June month as two shows expected to happen in March – Taste, focused on food, and Testo, dedicated to the publishing industry, were moved to June. “June will be like a marathon for us as we will have to manage five shows in a row starting from Taste, happening on 5th-7th June, Testo, on 11th-13th June, then Pitti Uomo on 16th-19th June, followed by Pitti Bimbo and Pitti Filati.”
“Despite all this we are actually living a delicate moment and choosing to change dates also requires an ability in optimizing each action. I think this moment offers a great opportunity for Italian entrepreneurs showing their ability. We know that visitors may have problems reaching our show. Our Pisa airport, for instance, is small and visitors have to come to Florence for Pitti Uomo, while other events are happening in Milan, though, as it’s in the soul of our group, we will do our best with service, support and any possible help for visitors who reach Florence for work, or - as a Mexican expression says - ‘We stay al pie del cañón’, that means ‘We stay at the side of the cannon’,” Napoleone he adds.
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