MICAM 85, the international shoe trade fair held twice a year, took place in Milan, Italy, for four days from February 11th. Using seven pavilions at Rho Fiera Milano, a trade fair venue on the outskirts of Milan, a total of 1,364 shoe and shoe-related manufacturers, including 761 Italian companies and 603 international companies, exhibited. Approximately 45,000 buyers and shoe industry professionals visited over the four days.

The Italian shoe industry, which is plagued by counterfeit goods and false labeling, actively promoted "Made in Italy" products and set up events and exhibition booths within the venue to raise awareness of counterfeit goods and combat illegal activities. Italy alone suffers annual damages of approximately 6 billion euros (792 billion yen at the exchange rate of 1 euro = 132 yen), with the shoe industry alone suffering approximately 19 to 24 million euros (25 to 32 billion yen), and the problem is becoming more serious every year, making it a key theme for this year's exhibition.

Booths such as PUNTO PIGRO, ALEX BY MERCURY, and BUTTERO in the Contemporary Zone were boldly signposted with "Full Made in Italy" and "100% MADE IN ITALY," and Pavilion 1 displayed labels for genuine and counterfeit products, how to distinguish them, and comparisons of the real thing, making "anti-counterfeiting" a key theme in each section of the exhibition.

These comments don't just concern economic losses, but also the health hazards posed by children's shoes. In the children's shoe brand zone, various events were held under the theme of "fake and real," including a demonstration of botanical shoes by Christophe Guinet, also known as "Monsieur Plante."

Christophe Guinet's "Botanical Shoes"

Particularly eye-catching this time was Fashion Square, an event zone in the Luxury Zone designed by architect Francesco Pagliariccio. A large, slanted mirror measuring 58m x 16m was installed across the entire ceiling. On the floor, a huge, Instagrammable installation projected the key visual for the 2018-19 Fall/Winter season, themed "VANITY," photographed by Javier Vallhonrat, creating a stunning sight, and the venue's typical Italian design left visitors in awe.




Furthermore, around the same space, brands that returned to the exhibition this season, including Cesare Paciotti, Salvatore Ferragamo, Ermenegildo Zegna, and Moschino, were lined up with open presentation booths, attracting a stream of visitors, even though many of the other exhibiting brands closed their booths and only showed their new products from the aisles.

In the pavilion's "MAN" square, a shoe shine booth was set up inside a giant shoe sculpture. In Pavilion 4, the newly established "Emerging Designers" zone (described separately) featuring young shoe brands was adjacent to the popular "Fun Square." It attracted buyers with services like VR experiences using the Oculus Rift and hair styling services.

As the world's largest shoe trade fair, it was impressive to see the mix of digital, analog, and hard and soft content on offer. Catering to the wide age range and global audience, the show also enthusiastically offered entertainment-rich salon proposals, including a DJ party on the first day featuring guest Giorgio Moroder, the producer who created a hit for Donna Summer in the '70s and is currently enjoying a revival thanks to his work with Daft Punk.

Giorgio Moroder

Also, following on from last time, "Shoushi (shoe + sushi)" (technically called "onigiri art") by Milan-raised Chinese sushi artist Yujia-Hu, who has been gaining popularity on social media, will be making a guest appearance again this time, performing shoe sushi live. Iconic shoes from brands like Moschino and Nike, created by Young Asians working at the Milan-based Japanese sushi restaurant SAKANA, are finished with salmon, seaweed, and rice, giving them a street-style feel. Although the number of visitors from China and Hong Kong decreased this year due to the Chinese New Year festival, the number of buyers from Russia and Ukraine, which increased significantly from the previous year, enjoyed taking photos on the spot and uploading them to Instagram, and it appears that this is becoming a new specialty of MICAM.

"Shoushi (shoe + sushi)"

Text: Tatsuya Noda