With its 68 billion euros of yearly turnover, fashion has become Italy's second most important productive resource, and Milan is Italy's fashion capital. No maison, whether national or international, wants to be without a showroom in the famous Fashion Quadrilateral, the area including via Montenapoleone, via Sant'Andrea, via della Spiga and via Manzoni and most have plans to open an outlet in one of Milan's historical buildings to follow in the footsteps of Armani, Trussardi, Krizia and Versace, to mention just a few. Milan, in recent years, has made good investments of skills and professionalism in the fashion sector to become a competitor on a par with Paris and New York. Milan has succeeded in creating an integrated system of events and creativity connecting all the international fashion protagonists, thanks also to activities by Un-National Chamber of Fashion, the Italian Textiles Association and Sistema Moda Italia. Milan's talent of looking forward into the future - and its desire to invest in invention and good government - have materialized today in the grandiose project called Fashion City far the creation of an authentic international fashion pole, which will be located in the current Garibaldi-Repubblica area. Fashion City will have multifunctional centers for fashion shows, offices, congress facilities, a museum dedicated to fashion, a university pole and two high towers that, together with the new fair area, will change the city's skyline. This entails an important investment, not only in economic terms but also in terms of city planning and culture, but it will be a symbol of Milan's stress on innovation and it will become a driving force for the entire city economy to create new jobs in fashion itself and in sectors influenced by fashion, including commerce, tourism, transport and services. These sectors are already strongly stimulated by Milan's traditional fashion calendar: Men's Fashion Week, Women's Fashion Week, Milanovendemoda, Mo-Mi and Moda In, which periodically transform the city into an immense catwalk with hundreds of beautiful models wearing fashions by the world's most important designers. Milan is a city that generates involvement and interest and, through a series of brilliant public initiatives, fashion not only graces its exclusive facilities in the fashion quadrilateral but has also come outside to be admired by everyone at the Castello Sforzesco or the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.
The image of Milanese women shopping in the elegant streets of downtown Milan, carrying packages large and small, is not just a newspaper stereotype, far from it. Visitors from Japan, the USA, Korea, Sweden, Argentina, France and other cities outside of Milan can often be seen alongside locals, because shopping in Milan has become a 'must' for those who want to keep in step with fashion, technological innovation and the latest trends.
For those who shop for eclectic things, vintage or more unusual purchases, the shops in the Navigli area will delight them. If they go on a Saturday they will also find the open-air stands of the Fiera di Sinigallia offering a myriad of interesting objects to choose from; while the antiques at the Fiera dell'Antiquariato, held on the last Sunday of every month, have great appeal.
Those who want to breathe in Milan's 'old time' atmosphere, the historic shops comprising the city's ancient shopping district can be found between corso Garibaldi and Brera.
Milan also has a number of shopping streets: via Meravigli, corso Magenta, via Dante, corso Vittorio Emanuele, via Torino, corso Buenos Aires, corso Vercelli and viale Piave, which criss-cross the city in a network of shops, outlets for crafts, department stores and small shops.
All those with a 'sweet tooth' absolutely must visit via Spadari, Milan's 'mecca' of sweets -though Milanese sweets can now be found everywhere.
While for those searching for 'food for the mind", Milan is filled with hundreds of bookshops and the largest and most famous ones are Mondadori, Feltrinelli, Rizzoli, Hoepli and Fnac.
There are also large department stores in the centre of Milan. These are the forerunners of the huge shopping centers on the outskirts of Milan and they complete Milan's great shopping panorama with more family-oriented and more economically priced wares.
12,000 companies involved in the fashion system
850 show rooms
6.000 shops linked to international designers
300 fashion shows per year
6,000 people employed in Milan's fashion weeks
200,000 visitors per year
110,000 square meters involved in the construction of the new "Fashion city"
3,530 designers at work to consolidate the Milan/fashion connection
16 Advanced Fashion Institutes 6,000 students from all over the world
88,875 shops in Milan Province [2004]
19,600 shops managed by women in Milan Province (2004)
4,991 shops managed by foreigners in Milan Province [2004]
5,173 new shops registered with the Chamber of Commerce in 2004
41,984 business activities focused on wholesale and intermediation in Milan Province
37,987 retail activities in Milan Province [2004]
USEFUL ADDRESSES: Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, Via G. Morone, 6 - Ph. +3902.77710821
Ascomoda, Corso Venezia, 26 - Ph.+3902.76015507
Assomoda Lombardia, Corso Venezia, 47/49 - Ph.+3902.780327
Camera Nazionale dei Buyers, Via Monte di Pietà, 21 - Ph. +39 02.86337451
Sistema Moda Italia, Viale Sarca, 223 - Ph.+3902.641191
Università Cattolica - Centro per lo studio della Moda e della Produzione Culturale, Largo Gemelli, 1 - Ph. +39 02.72341
IULM - Lauree specializzate in Marketing e Comunicazione della Moda del Lusso e del Design, Via Carlo Bo 1 - Ph.+3902.891412384
NABA - Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti di Milano, Via C. Darwin 20 - Ph.+39 02.973721
Politecnico di Milano Facoltà di Design, Via Durando 38/A - Ph. +39 02.23997206 (THE HOTEL LA RESIDENZA IS AT ONLY 2 KM FAR FROM THE POLITECNICO!! )
SDA Bocconi - Master in Fashion, Experience & Design Management, Via Balilla 18 - Ph.+3902.58363168
Istituto Marangoni, Via Verri 4 - Ph.+3902.76316680
Istituto Europeo di Design - IED Moda Lab, Via Pompeo Leoni, 3 - Ph. +39 02.583361
Domus Academy, Via Watt 27 - Ph.+3902.42414001
Italian Fashion School Dipartimento Formazione Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, Via Santa Marta 18 - Ph.+3902.7771081
GEO - Istituto di Formazione Professionale per la moda, Via Gettala 29 - Ph.+3902.74281994
CFP - Centro di Formazione Professionale della Provincia di Milano, Via Sederini 24 - Ph. +39 02. 77405501
Uptodate Fashion Academy, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II - Ph. +39 02.767929
Istituto Carlo Secoli, Via C. Prina 5 - Ph.+3902,342958
Istituto di Moda Burgo, Piazza San Babila 5 - Ph.+39 02783753
Istituto di Istruzione Superiore W. Kandinsky, Via Baroni 35 - Ph. +39 02.8260979
Istituto Marcelle Dudovich, Via Amoretti 63 - Ph.+39 02.3559118 (THE HOTEL LA RESIDENZA IS AT ONLY 3,5 KM FAR FROM THE ISTITUTO MARCELLE DUDOVICH!! )
Via Oderzo, 3 – Ph.+39 02.39217456
AM5 - Accademia di via Montenapoleone, via Montenapoleone 5 - Ph. +3902.76316818
Istituto Professionale Caterina da Siena, Viale Lombardia 89 - Ph. +39 02.2824973
Confesercenti Provinciale di Milano, Via Pasteur 16 - Ph.+39 02.2818621
CALENDAR FASHION FAIRS IN MILAN 2007:
25th-28th May (Fieramilanocity): CHIBIMART – AFFARI D’ESTATE (SUMMER BUSINESS - Tradeshow of ethnic and typical handcraft products, furnishing complements).
25th-28th May (Fieramilanocity): CHIBIDUE (international exhibition of costume jewellery, fashion and hair accessories).
27th-28th May (Fieramilanocity): MODAPRIMA (62nd international fashion and accessories show - spring/summer 2008 collections and flashes on autumn/winter 2007-2008 collections for men and women).
22nd-25th June (Fieramilanocity): SI - SPOSAITALIA COLLEZIONI (international presentation of bridal and formal wear - 2008 collections).
24th-29th June (Fieramilanocity): MILANO MODA UOMO (presentation of men's fashion collections spring/summer 2008).
7th-10th September (New Exhibition Center of Rho-Pero): BIJOUX (costume jewellery exhibition).
7th-10th September (New Exhibition Center of Rho-Pero): MORE (Jewellery and Fashion Accessories).
11th-12th September (Fieramilanocity): ANTEPRIMA (colours and trends winter 2008-2009).
11th-14th September (Fieramilanocity): MILANO UNICA (the Italian textile exhibition - IDEABIELLA - IDEA COMO - MODA IN - PRATO EXPO - SHIRT AVENUE).
20th- 23rd September (New Exhibition Center of Rho-Pero): MICAM Shoevent (international footwear exhibition).
20th- 23rd September(New Exhibition Center of Rho-Pero): MIPEL - THE BAGSHOW (92nd international leathergoods market).
20th- 30th September (Fieramilanocity): MILANO MODA DONNA (women's wear - spring-summer 2008 collections).
27th- 30th September (Fieramilanocity): 46...52 PLUSIZE (the show for plus sizes).
27th- 30th September (Fieramilanocity): MILANOVENDEMODA (international presentation of women's fashion collections spring-summer 2008).
16th-19th November (Fieramilanocity): CHIBIMART INVERNO (exhibition of fashion jewellery with semi-precious and precious stones, silver. Craft, gift).
25th-27th November (Fieramilanocity): MODAPRIMA (63th international fashion and accessories show autumn/winter 2008/2009 collections;spring/summer 2008 flashes for man and woman).
