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MILAN — As it continues to wave the Made in Italy flag in international markets, the Italian Trade Agency, or ITA, the governmental agency that supports the business development of Italian companies abroad, is gearing up for Chicago Collective and will take 62 brands to a dedicated area on the show floor.

The premium menswear fair will run from Aug. 6 to 8.

Part of ITA’s 2023 fashion road show called Inspr Italia Innovations in Style, the Chicago touchdown at the city’s merchandise mart marks an important milestone for the agency’s promotion of Italian menswear by small- and medium-sized enterprises.

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Paola Guida, deputy trade commissioner, head of fashion and beauty division at ITA, said “the U.S. market, especially when it comes to menswear, has proven particularly interested in new-generation brands, favoring SMEs.”

“This speaks volumes about the market evolution — younger consumers are more interested in quality than fashion per se, and circularity,” she added.

In pre-pandemic years, Italy exported to the U.S. around $9 billion in fashion goods, including jewelry, but the post-COVID-19 “revenge shopping,” as Guida characterized it, helped lift sales to $13.3 billion in 2022, a 10.4 percent gain compared to 2021.

Men’s ready-to-wear contributed $727.5 million to that figure, while leather footwear exports stood at $460 million, for example.

Although the consensus points to a slowdown in U.S. sales for the fashion sector, Guida described the first half of 2023 as a phase of “consolidation….Growth is still there, albeit a slower pace and in smaller percentage,” she said.

Although on a broader scale there’s much talk about the business relevance of trade shows, Guida underscored that the U.S. is subject to different dynamics for geographical reasons, offering a rationale for the roadshow ITA has organized this year across the country, touching down at local and more global-geared trade shows.

“The country is huge compared to Italy or even Europe, so each area in the U.S. represents a market of its own. Except for hyper-luxury brands selling across the board, products and designs sold on the East Coast are very different from those on the West Coast. Ditto for Florida or the Midwest,” she said. “There are so many components factoring in, such as ethnic representation, macroeconomic conditions, education level,” she added.

In the menswear sector, the Chicago Collective has little to no competition, the executive contended.

“It was born as a very effective and small entity, but it has grown tremendously. I don’t expect it to grow further; it will probably consolidate as a boutique trade show with the best [men’s fashion],” Guida said.

She added that the second most relevant men’s fair in the country, the Dallas Men’s Show, which closed in the city on July 31, is far from earning the same standing as Chicago Collective.

ITA is bringing 62 brands to the Chicago fair, around 50 of which are returning after showing at the winter edition, a sign of its relevance and brisk business activity, Guida said.

The brands planning to exhibit in Chicago include knitwear specialists Filippo De Laurentiis, Montechiaro and Guercilena 1944; footwear brands Ortigni 1930, Paolo Scafora Napoli and Voile Blanche, as well as tailoring labels Sartoria Partenopea, Mauro Blasi and Paolo Albizzati, among others.

According to Guida, the overall roster offers insight into the best of Italian men’s fashion across a variety of categories — ready-to-wear, accessories and footwear — with loungewear, denim, tailoring and knitwear among the best represented styles.

“The selection is carried out in tandem with the trade show, that’s a prerogative in the American market,” Guida explained. “With Chicago Collective we’ve created a real synergy…to provide buyers with an adequate representation [of men’s fashion].”

Overall, there will be more than 100 Italian fashion companies on display, including those that were not supported by ITA.

ITA provides exhibitors it endorses financial support to attend the fair, as well as networking opportunities with buyers and retailers and awareness-building marketing campaigns. But still much of the work needs to be done by the exhibitors, Guida said.

“It’s up to each brand to introduce itself and showcase its strengths, including the adequate digital tools, such as e-commerce, website and social media, which are fundamental in this market,” she said.

To this end, ITA has extended the life of its Extraitastyle website, a platform originally launched during the pandemic to help brands unable to travel Stateside forge contacts with around 400 buyers. Developed to showcase 70 brands at a time with more than 3,500 items on display, the site’s brand mix is reshuffled twice a year, the next one occurring in September.

“The U.S. market needs the mountain to go to Mohammed…we’re helping companies scout unexplored areas,” Guida said.

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