Preparations advance for 2019 World Leather Congress
15/03/2019
Secretary of the International Council of Tanners (ICT), Paul Pearson, said at a briefing in Hong Kong on March 13, said this congress, which follows previous events in Rio de Janeiro in 2011, Milan in 2015 and Shanghai in 2017, will focus more on consumers than on the internal workings of the global leather industry.
“It will be an opportunity to remind everyone of the important role leather plays in global business,” Mr Pearson said. He added that the “power” consumers have now makes it important to look at leather and leathergoods from a consumer point of view.
The joint hosts of the event will be Leather Industries of America (LIA) and the United States Hide Skin and Leather Association (USHSLA); the congress will be organised under the auspices of the ICT, with the administrative assistance of Italian tanning industry body UNIC, the organiser of the Lineapelle exhibitions, (the 2019 World Leather Congress will take place the day before the July edition of Lineapelle New York).
LIA president, John Wittenborn, said in Hong Kong that there had been an element of the industry “preaching to ourselves” at the previous three World Leather Congress events. “In New York, we want a younger audience of designers and buyers who may not understand the importance of leather.”
He explained that there will be four components to the New York event: a session to explain some of the basics of leather manufacturing, one of the cultural significance of leather, one on sustainability “to make sure next-generation designers understand leather can be ethically sourced and responsibly made”, and finally a session featuring finished-product manufacturers who will share their reasons for using leather.
Share this story:
