The 20th SHIRT AVENUE, one of the five exhibitions at Milano Unica – Italian Textile Exhibition – opens on Tuesday, 3 February and will close on Friday, 6th February with 40 exhibiting companies showcasing the finest classic and casual shirting fabrics, and with a very clear idea of what innovation and product culture are all about.

Silvio Albini – Cotonificio Albini Spa
“We will be at Shirt Avenue with a large degree at uncertainty due to the delay with which our customers are receiving orders . The system has changed. Buyers are now making purchases when they have already sold. However, I feel there is a great desire for creativity and for high quality products and I am sure that, as always, the collections at Shirt Avenue will be able to satisfy customer needs because they are the finest offerings of Made in Europe production, very creative and have a fair and responsible positioning”.

Aldo Ardemagni- Testa Spa
“I expect companies with a greater international reach to be able to place the choices they will be making at the fair in a future-oriented context, which is very different from the current one. The fabrics that we will be presenting will be in the shop windows more than one year from now and this is what we need to consider. I also believe that it is fundamental for our main customers to adopt a touch of boldness and courage by concentrating on products that are more innovative and have a stronger stylistic twist”.

Simone Canclini – Canclini Spa
“We grew very well until 2007 and hit a plateau in 2008. There will be a temporary downturn in 2009 and then we will pick up in full swing in 2010. We are going through a global and structural crisis and I believe that after the turbulence is over, there can be a new very positive season for the more well-organized and developed companies that can grasp the opportunities at the right moment. Our Spring /Summer 2010 exudes a moderate optimism for the times to come and, on the first day, we will be presenting a new item that will definitely get people talking”.

Ingegnoli – Leggiuno Spa
“There will certainly be fewer delegations of trade people just like at all the other exhibitions, whatever the sector, but those people who are on the lookout for quality menswear fabrics know very well that you can find the best in Milan. The timing of the exhibition will not be a point in our favor and its overlapping completely with the Munich exhibition will be annoying. In any case, we have an innovative and cutting-edge range that shuns classic shirting fabrics, which are too easy to imitate and have definitely saturated the market over recent years”.

SHIRTING TRENDS FOR SPRING SUMMER 2010 Contours are defined or un-definable, with all-new light and shade effects and sublime outlines. All the power and audaciousness of color for a new way of thinking light. A veritable tribute to joy and optimism with the most striking and persuasive hues inspired by the applied arts and the uncontainable strength of nature. Vibrations that come from a careful, harmonious study of the load and weight of colors to transmit an energizing strength. Flashes of light, beams and flashes of color to offset the apparently static, more classic backgrounds. Color finds its strength and its deepest enthusiasm in these strong contrasts which shine and dazzle.