At the end of September, the designers and fashion houses streamed down to Florence for the first edition of Modapelle by Pitti Immagine, an early preview of the Autumn 2000/Winter 2003 collections. This new event is the result of cooperation between the Associazione Conciatori di Santa Croce sull’Arno, the Consorzio Conciatori di Ponte a Egola and Pitti Immagine, with strong support from the Regione Tuscana. Aimed at the international fashion scene, it attracted a host of top names such as Prada, Gucci, Armani, Dior, Ferragamo, Fendi, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Hugo Boss, Ralph Loren and Escada, to name just a handful!

The two-day show held in the grounds of the Fortezza da Basso drew some 2,500 buyers to see 135 collections - principally from the main tanning areas of Italy as well as a clutch of exhibitors from Finland, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal and Spain.

The entrance to the show led all visitors through the Spazio Ricerca, a trend and development area under the direction of Li Edelkoort, considered one of the leading authorities on global trends in clothing, textiles, fragrances and design, in co-operation with the European Fashion Designers’ Service Center.

The exhibition also included a major trend presentation of leathers from the Consorzio Vera Pelle Italiana Conciata al Vegetale under the title of Natural Sensations. Thirty colours grouped into three themes - Intellect, Frivolity Rhythm - were featured.

Spazio Ricerca made a significant contribution to forcefully underlining the research and fashion aspect of Modapelle by Pitti Immagine, something it wishes to build on in the international trade fair calendar, strengthening its original scope of previewing the latest innovations and collections. Some of the new textures and patterns which will be making an impact on the retail scene in twelve months’ time, are shown here.