Mifur

MIFUR International leather and fur fair founded in 1995.

It is held in the pavilions of Milan Fair in March, contemporaneously with two other important fairs, Mipel (leather) and Micam (footwear). Mifur represents the main Italian showcase for fur, leather clothing, raw materials, accessories, and machinery. For five days Milan becomes the capital of leather and fur.

Mifur, which also has a vintage section from the 1950s and 1960s, concluded with a joint runway show by the most important companies in the sector. Characteristics were exoticism and craftsmanship, luxury and comfort in designs from all around the world, and a very wide range of skins, techniques, and designs. Such rarities as toad and sea wolf were seen, as well as woven techniques that treat furs like textiles.
The seventh Mifur ended with positive results: 250 exhibitors and roughly 12,000 buyers and specialist participators. In particular, 6,113 companies took part for the first time (2,389 foreign ones and 3,715 Italian) compared with the 4,888 registered in 2001 (1,742 foreigners and 3,146 from Italy). There was a strong contingent from the United States (122 companies compared with 109 in 2001) and Russia (260 compared with 148). Furthermore, there was a greater presence from Turkey, Korea, France, Germany, and Azerbaijan.

 

There are also encouraging signs from the market

There are also encouraging signs from the market: the turnover from the fur sector in 2001 was 2.3 billion euros, an increase of 1.9% on the previous year. The export trade accounted for 15% of the total. The fair was broadened with a series of events: in particular a runway show, Sense of Winter, and an evening on the theme, The Mirror of Fashion — A Fur Photo-Shoot, organized by the Italian Fur Association and Saga Furs, the association of Scandinavian fur producers.

 In 2002, the fur sector enjoyed

In 2002, the fur sector enjoyed its best performance in ten years, with a turnover of 2.56 billion euros and an increase of 11.3% on 2001 (the lowest results were registered in 1999, with 1.64 billion). For the third year running, Italian exports increased: in 2002, they totaled 265 million euros (up 18.1% on 2001). Imports also rose (up 11.7%) by 289 million euros. The sector employs 46,100 people. The eighth Mifur had 270 exhibitors and 12,000 buyers. The year’s novelty, introduced by AIP (the Italian Fur Association), was to label each fur as a response to accusations regarding the abuse of protected species and even domestic animals. The label on every fur contains the scientific, Latin name of the animal used, cleaning instructions and the name of the producer.