FROM OUR AUGUST 2024 ISSUE: CATCHING UP WITH ITA TRADE COMMISSIONER ERICA Di GIOVANCARLO

The entire MR team proudly presents our August 2024 issue. If you haven’t received a hard copy, please page through a digital version at  Issuu, and we’ll continue to post individual stories here on  MR-mag.com. If you haven’t been getting MR in print, be sure that you are on our mailing list for future issues by completing  this form.

Our Editor-in-chief, Karen Alberg Grossman, catches up with the Italian Trade Agency‘s Trade Commissioner Erica Di Giovancarlo to discuss Italian exports, the Chicago Collective, living in New York City, and how to get men to dress better. 

What is the status of men’s fashion exports from Italy this first half of 2024?
In terms of exports to the U.S., Italy has moved up from fifth position to fourth. But in dollar volume, the value of menswear exports has declined slightly. Our goal: to create increasingly glamorous and innovative special events to promote Italian-made product, always with something new…
In fact, I just returned from Los Angeles where the special ITA event was a “villaggio Italia” built on the dock where a ship (the Amerigo Vespucci) was moored. In addition to a design exhibition, the village featured an Italian restaurant, a multi-media lounge, and a conference hall where various seminars were held. The ship is travelling all around the world; the next stop will be Tokyo.

What can retailers expect at the August Chicago Collective?
We will have 62 menswear companies on the show floor. Then in September, we’ll bring 70 companies to NYC for Coterie. So much of the magic of Italian fashion is not just the clothing itself but also the ambiance, the imagery, the storytelling. Which is why the food, the drinks, the music and décor, it’s all so important. Our central location at the Chicago Collective with coffee and Italian pastry in the morning, cocktails and aperitivo in the afternoon, has become a go-to meeting place for retailers and brands to relax and get to know each other, both professionally and personally. I believe the personal connections are just as important as the business ones.

On your first six months living in New York City, what has most impressed you? What’s been disappointing?
I’m very amazed by the non-stop energy of this city: the dynamism, the speed, the ideas, the number of things happening at once. It’s all very stimulating. And I’m fortunate to have also visited several other U.S. cities and states, each unique and interesting.
Disappointing? Sometimes the very loud noise from constant construction near our offices makes me crazy, but I realize this is work that needs to be done. Also, I’m disappointed that I’ve had no time yet for opera or museums or any of the wonderful cultural events that NYC has to offer. These are the things that touch the soul and stay with you always.
Years ago when I worked with my father in his engineering business, he would always insist on taking an afternoon walk in the fresh air, sharing a coffee with good conversation, giving us a mental and physical break after so many hours of working. I find there are too few breaks in NYC offices: we are all too busy.

My favorite question: How can we get American men to dress more Italian?
I think the difference is that Italian men care more about the sartorial tradition: it’s something in their DNA. But it’s changing a lot lately: as more American men travel to Italy, they’re acquiring style. They’re absorbing not just the Italian suits but the entire culture of Italy.
Years ago, there was a big difference between how American and Italian men dressed. Today, it’s hard to tell the difference. American men are learning that it’s not just the suit; it’s how you wear it. And this knowledge can be acquired by studying the culture, the language, the people. In fact, our goal at the Italian Trade Agency is to share not just Italian products but also Italian values, traditions, the ways things are done. It’s all so important.