White’s first digital edition launches with over 200 brands on its WHITE online platform and the B2B marketplace from February 25 to 28, 2021.
On occasion of Milano Moda Donna (Milan’s Womenswear Fashion Week), from 25th February 2021, WHITE Milano Digital Show goes online on the WHITE’s platform and B2B marketplace.
The Digital Project has been realized with the support of MAECI and ICE – Agenzia and the partnership with Confartigianato Imprese . The online format, which includes a series of Special Projects dedicated to sustainability and evolved craftsmanship (already launched with WSM-WHITE in January 2021), has the important objective of communicating the world of small and medium-sized enterprises with a communication capable of involving experts up to the final public.
The upcoming Digital Project also focuses on putting the Italian industrial fabric back at the center made up of SMEs and local shops, which represent an extraordinary wealth of the country. There are two Special digital projects that go online from 25 February on the whiteshow.com platform: the first is dedicated to the theme of Advanced craftsmanship, while the second will be dedicated to Sustainable innovation. The selection dedicated to advanced craftsmanship is curated by Angelo Ruggeri and Valeria Oppenheimer , presenting over 20 realities , with a brand mix that ranges from clothing to footwear, passing through jewels. For this edition the two journalists, names known for their careful scouting, have chosen very different brands, but united by the same DNA, that of “Advanced Artisans” who offer Made in Italy creations, attentive to the image of the product and sustainability.
The second Special Project focuses on Sustainability : curated by Chiara Tronville , in collaboration with Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto , sees a selection of brands that experiment with different techniques: from recycling and upcycling processes to processing with less polluting raw materials, in order to reduce the environmental impact, in the context of a path based on traceability and transparency.
The collaboration with Altaroma also continues – even if only in digital version – which will be on show on the WHITE platform with a selection of the best designers . Precisely the cultural part of the project includes a rich calendar of webinars – live from 25 to 28 February on the whiteshow.com website – which will address different issues related to SMEs, ranging from craftsmanship to sustainable innovation.
The calendar of talks of this edition of WHITE continues to give voice to the different dimensions of sustainability in fashion, from the Italian artisan tradition to the systemic analysis of the relationship between the textile and food sectors, up to the innovative materials of avant-garde startups in design of solutions in response to current environmental and social problems.
WHITE is organized by M.Seventy, a service company founded in 2005 as a consulting company for design, communication and organization of events. Over the years, the company has grown keeping intact its mission to discover talents, with a continuous invention of spaces and with the formulation of projects and ideas across borders and between genres.
According to Carlo Ferro, President of ICE Agenzia – “In 2021, as per European Commission, the GDP of Italy will grow by 3.4% and exports, according to Prometeia, by 8%. The textile-apparel too, one of the sectors that has been mostly hit by the pandemic, will also start growing again. Looking beyond the numbers, the digital realm will keep on playing a central role, both for the recovery of exports and as a new paradigm in terms of consumption. E-commerce, Made-in-Italy, craftsmanship, innovation and sustainability are key to tackle the challenges of the future. Based on these guidelines, in compliance with the Export Agreement, ICE Agenzia has developed its strategy to support the Italian firms, especially the SMEs. In 2020, we offered the firms 14 new initiatives, mainly digital, among which the platform Fiera Smart 365, the e-commerce agreements with 27 among the key marketplaces worldwide, and the training of digital export managers. We are currently working to strengthen the Made in Italy worldwide through a major Nation Brand campaign and through the fight against the phenomenon of Italian sounding through the use of blockchain. The whole fashion industry is responding to this new scenario by adopting a concerted approach, and the initiatives that we are launching are a shining example. Only by means of an important concerted action can our Made in Italy go back to take centre stage worldwide.”
Massimiliano Bizzi, founder of WHITE adds: “Small and medium-sized businesses represent more than 90% of the Italian industrial sector. These niches focus on research and quality, yet they do not enjoy the widespread recognition they deserve, and this harms them a lot. This was true in the past, but the pandemic has widened this communication gap. We must find and develop strategies and ways to grant these excellences the visibility and renown they deserve. Hence the decision to launch a series of initiatives to boost the consumers’ awareness of SMEs, which WHITE has always promoted, but which are for the most part still unknown to the general public and the consumers. We are planning a number of projects to accelerate the enhancement of the SMEs, and to take them closer to the end-users. In other words, tangible and substantial support for these firms, the crown jewels of the Italian know-how.”
Image Credits: White Show Milano, Italy