Vicenzaoro September will be global focal point for industry trends
The September 2019 edition of Vicenzaoro will showcase the latest innovative designs from around the world and will feature for the first time celebrated UK jewellery designer Stephen Webster, says Marco Carniello, Vicenzaoro’s Global Brand Director Jewellery & Fashion. The event coincides with a buoyant period for Italian gold jewellery exports. Jewellery Outlook Editor David Brough reports.
Marco Carniello
Why will the September edition of Vicenzaoro be a “must-attend” event for international buyers?
Thanks to an innovative Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) idea, the Jewellery Boutique Show is a strategic and cutting-edge development model that is new to the panorama of international exhibitions.
Every year we offer international buyers the opportunity to visit and attend our “one-stop shop” boutique in which all the players of the jewellery supply chain are present, with the very best they have to offer.
For every buyer Vicenzaoro September is a great opportunity to maximize their sales and is the perfect moment to make a complete reassortment ahead of the end-of-year sales season so that the showcases, during the peak in sales, will be able to express their potential at its best.
Also worth remembering is that Vicenzaoro is “the place to be” where the entire sector can meet up and learn more about the industry’s hottest themes, like that of spreading sustainability, which we will highlight in September’s edition.
What will be the highlights of the Design Room and the Watch Room?
The Design Room, increasingly important for Vicenzaoro, will be a forging of ideas and the maximum expression of experimentation with an impeccable selection of 12 top Independent Designers from all over the world presenting their own collections and offering an interpretation of contemporaneity in a highly original and creative twist.
In September, it will feature a very interesting mix of proposals, with well-known brands such as Alessio Boschi and Lydia Courteille, and independent designers who are more niche but equally well recognized by the international community such as Tomasz Donocik and Alessa Jewellery.
Regarding the Watch Room, we have cherry picked internationally to offer buyers the opportunity to display in their showcases a careful selection of brands from different price ranges, such as Corum, Barbosa, MeisterSinger, Orient – the largest manufacturer of calibers of the Far East, Luminox and Picto, the watches from North Europe featuring a superlinear design and innovative dials.
Emmanuel Tarpin
Celebrated designer Stephen Webster will be exhibiting at the show for the first time. How significant a coup is this for Vicenzaoro?
The participation of Stephen Webster’s brand, for which we are very excited, affirms that Vicenzaoro is increasingly recurring and central in the World when it comes to design and jewellery. We are looking forward to welcoming to our boutique show the design of the “rock star” who is considered the symbol of contemporary jewellery.
The Trend Book 2021 will be launched at the show. Can you give any teasers about some of its key messages?
I can only anticipate that for this September edition, for the first time, we have involved numerous key guests and reference points of design at the world level.
To find out what the “secrets” of Trendbook 2021+ will be, however, I am happy to invite all the designers and artisans who will visit Vicenzaoro September to take part in the Trendvision Jewellery+Forecasting talkshow, the first independent IEG Observatory specialising in forecasting in the jewellery world, on which we have worked hard this year to renew its format and communication.
Can you give some details about the Sustainability summit? Why is this theme a priority?
Vicenzaoro is a platform where the entire jewellery industry can meet to get an overview of the sector and its evolution. With our boutique show, we play an essential role in promoting and spreading knowledge, both for the most important brands in the field but also for smaller and emerging brands.
Deepening a theme at Vicenzaoro means focusing on what are recognized as world-wide best practices of a matter, like that of spreading sustainability, which we will highlight in September’s edition during VISIO.NEXT.
There, experts from the world of fashion, international journalists, influencers, Government Representatives and leading companies in the jewellery sector will discuss and share their experiences about sustainability and CSR initiatives in place.
For smaller brands who would not usually have the opportunity to access these levels of contents and knowledge, the event’s panels are indispensable.
What is the outlook, in value terms, for exports of Italian gold and silver jewellery in 2019, compared with 2018? What are the main overseas markets for the Italian exports?
Compared to 2018, during the first quarter of the year Italian gold and jewellery exports grew by about 2%, for a countervalue well over one and a half billion euros. This is a significant result, especially in light of the general uncertainty that is characterizing global spending. We are very optimistic and confident that the positive trend will also be reflected in the course of the year.
From an overall market perspective, the major importers have further consolidated their position. On the one hand, those hosting the headquarters of the major Maisons, such as Switzerland and France, and on the other hand, destination markets such as the Middle East, USA and Hong Kong.
Master Ma
How are Italian goldsmithing and machinery exports faring? What impact are current high gold prices having on the sector?
As it is becoming increasingly visible during T.Gold, which is VO’s international Show for machinery and the most innovative technologies applied to jewellery and precious metal processes, the technologies of the Italian goldsmith industry continue to represent excellence at the world level.
Export volumes are growing year on year, especially in terms of the supply of the Italian players.
True, gold has recently suffered price increases that have impacted the supply chain, but it should be underlined that new technologies are increasingly able to mitigate these impacts thanks to advanced processing techniques that make jewellery lighter, while preserving their volume and size.
Looking into 2021, how is Vicenzaoro positioned relative to other international trade fairs? How will the trade show business model evolve?
As part of the circuit of major events in the industry, many of which (such as Oroarezzo, Gold/Italy, Vicenzaoro Dubai, T.Gold International, just to name a few) also fall within the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) Jewellery Agenda, Vicenzaoro is positioned as the reference show for everything related to design and new trends, both in regard to finished products and technologies and production processes.
Concerning the concept of “pure trade fair”, I think it has been generally over-used. Trade fairs are now evolving at a fast pace, keeping up with the evolution of the industry and the market demand.
The historical “root” of fairs which was to generate business, has now adapted new aspects. Today, the fair must be a tool at the service of all the those within jewellery industry.
VO has interpreted this evolution very well, not only because it is the point of reference to explore the newest themes of the sector, but also because of its key role as a leading moment of networking and, above all, because it is able to combine the human and experiential component – such as the VIOFF – with business matching.
So, to come back to your question, I like to think of Vicenzaoro in 2021 as an even more “Experiential Trade Fair” rather than a “Pure Trade Fair”.
VICENZAORO September 2019
September 7-11, 2019
