Italian eyewear is gearing up for the next edition of Mido, yet the impact of U.S. tariffs is being felt and recovery has been pushed back to 2026, expected to be driven by new markets. As Lorraine Berton, president of the trade association ANFAO, tells FashionNetwork.com , the organisation plans to return to New York with an exhibition format, while she reveals details of DaTe’s upcoming stop in Naples.
ANFAO president Lorraine Berton with vice presidents Nicola Belli, Massimo Barberis, Sabrina Paulon and Davide Degl’Incerti Tocci
FashionNetwork: What will Mido 2026 look like? L.B: The next edition has been brought forward and will run from January 31 to February 2. The date change was not easy, but exhibitors have confirmed their attendance: 1,200 in total, including 140 new companies, from 160 countries. We will introduce many new elements compared with 2025, while maintaining our customary style and elegance. There will be a completely redesigned central piazza and 20 standout events in The Vision Stage area. The exhibition launched in Venice, “The Lens of Time”, will also come to the fair, for which we have devised a striking installation.
FN: What are the economic forecasts for the industry? L.B: We will have the third-quarter data in the second half of December. It has been a challenging year, but conditions are stabilising. The U.S. has hit us hardest: down 20% in the first half, improving to down 15% in the most recent quarter. The shock of the tariffs has now been absorbed, but we will close in negative territory and will have to wait until next year for the upturn. Globally, exports are down 3% in the first nine months, with Europe holding up extremely well, South America growing, and other markets opening up.
FN: How is internationalisation progressing? L.B: We face another transitional spring. As after Covid, I expect a lively rebound. The industry is undergoing a profound phase of transformation that continues to have the Belluno district at its epicentre. It is a difficult time for smaller companies, but we have taken back the reins of internationalisation. We are supporting our companies as they expand beyond Italy. We have also decided to invest in small businesses, because without the small, the large loses its identity.
FN:What countries are you focusing on? L.B: Brazil will be a priority market for the future. Next year we will undertake a mission to the country, which will become increasingly important thanks to the EU-Mercosur agreement. At present we face tariffs of between 14% and 18%. Eliminating them will ease entry into a still complex market, where eyewear that leaves Italy at €50 reaches €100.
FN: What are your plans for New York? L.B: We hope to return to Vision Expo East from 2028, once a year. For now, we remain in Orlando. We are working on it: it is an ambitious project and major investments are at stake. People in the U.S. know that we make the most beautiful eyewear. But we certainly need to communicate more and better. And that is also our responsibility as an association.
FN: Where will the next edition of DaTe be? L.B: Following Riccione (Cocoricò), the fair will stop in Naples, September 12–14, at the Teatro Salone Margherita, in the Galleria Umberto I. The travelling format will continue and will take in the whole of Italy. We are working exceptionally well with ICE. I would like to thank president Zoppas, who is giving us the opportunity to invest in the sector and who believes in my team. He understands that we are serious and that we do not squander resources.
FN: Why invest in the district? L.B: The eyewear district is the Belluno district, but in a broader sense it includes the provinces of Milan, Varese, Reggio Emilia and central Italy. It is a united and resilient district founded on the respect shown by the big players towards the smaller ones. With major players such as Marcolin, Thélios, Safilo and Luxottica, I have a continuous exchange of ideas that makes us all stronger at a difficult time. This is the true strength of the sector, which carries Made in Italy and our manufacturing excellence around the world, globally recognised and rewarding for us.
FN: Upcoming institutional commitments? L.B: ANFAO is attending two industry roundtables: one for the protection of Made in Italy and one at the ministry on protection and counterfeiting. These are commitments we share with the fashion and accessories industry. This coexistence is not straightforward, because it has to take into account the needs of different sectors and production chains, including differing views on the tools to protect product originality and combat counterfeiting.
FN: What is the leadership team working on? L.B: ANFAO has shown it can be close to its members. There is a team of vice presidents doing an extraordinary job. I want to thank Sabrina Paulon, who took my place on the technical committee for the contract renewal. I wanted changes within ANFAO, and I am very happy because today we have staff, both young and more experienced, who have shown they can embrace change with a youthful mindset. Two years have passed, but I believe I can say that we have a team that works in synergy inside and outside the association, and that is the greatest satisfaction for me. We will continue to deliver more and more.
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A host of celebrities and high-end brands have donating goods to ensure Savile Row’s latest annual ‘Pop-Up Crisis’ store will continue to support the Crisis charity event that has so far raised over £650,000 since 2018.
Image: Crisis charity
Across 8-13 December, the pop-up store at 18-19 Savile Row in London’s Mayfair will sell a curated selection of designer clothing, past stock and samples from luxury brands.
Celebs donating goods include Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Naomie Harris, David Gandy, Jarvis Cocker, Louis Partridge, Jamie Redknapp and Emma Corrin, among others, for a week-long event and raffle with all proceeds going to help end homelessness across Britain.
Hosted by landlord The Pollen Estate, the temporary shop is also selling designer goods donated by Savile Row tailors including Mr Porter, Wales Bonner, Crockett & Jones and many other luxury brands from Barbour, Tod’s to Manolo Blahnik and Watches of Switzerland Group.
This year, celebrity model and fashion entrepreneur David Gandy will also be curating an exclusive online edit on shopfromcrisis.com, including donations from his own wardrobe as well as items from friends including Redknapp’s brand Sandbanks, Hackett and Aspinal of London.
Gandy said: “Having supported Crisis for a number of years, I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to curate my own online edit this year with the help of some of my close friends. It means a lot to know that donations from my own wardrobe are going towards such an important cause. Whether you’re looking for the perfect Christmas gift or to treat yourself, your purchase can help make a real difference to people facing homelessness this Christmas.”
Liz Choonara, executive director of Commerce and Enterprise at Crisis, added: “Pop-Up Crisis is such an iconic event in the Crisis calendar and one that we look forward to every year. We’re thrilled to be partnering with the team once again for another week celebrating the iconic craftsmanship and style of Savile Row – with all proceeds going towards our crucial work to end homelessness.”
Specialist outdoor clothing producer Dryrobe has won a trademark case against a smaller label. The win for the business, which produces waterproof towel-lined robes used by cold water swimmers, means the offending rival must now stop selling items under the D-Robe brand within a week.
Image: Dryrobe
A judge at the high court in London ruled the company was guilty of passing off its D-Robe changing robes and other goods as Dryrobe products and knew it was infringing its bigger rival’s trademark reports, The Guardian newspaper.
The company said it has rigorously defended its brand against being used generically by publications and makers of similar clothing and is expected to seek compensation from D-Robe’s owners for trademark infringement.
Dryrobe was created by the former financier Gideon Bright as an outdoor changing robe for surfers in 2010 and became the signature brand of the wild swimming craze.
Sales increased from £1.3 million in 2017 to £20.3 million in 2021 and it made profits of £8 million. However, by 2023 sales had fallen back to £18 million as the passion for outdoor sports waned and the brand faced more competition.
Bright told the newspaper the legal win was a “great result” for Dryrobe as there were “quite a lot of copycat products and [the owners] immediately try to refer to them using our brand name”.
He said the company was now expanding overseas and moving into a broader range of products, adding that sales were similar to 2023 as “a lot of competition has come in”.
On Friday, France demanded a series of measures from Shein to demonstrate that the products sold on its website comply with the law, but dropped its initial request for a total three-month suspension of the online platform, which had been based on the sale of child-like sex dolls and prohibited weapons.
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At a hearing before the Paris court, a lawyer representing the state said that Shein must implement controls on its website, including age verification and filtering, to ensure that minors cannot access pornographic content. The state asked the court to impose a suspension of Shein’s marketplace until Shein has provided proof to Arcom, the French communications regulator, that these controls have been implemented.
Shein deactivated its marketplace- where third-party sellers offer their products- in France on November 5, after authorities discovered illegal items for sale, but its site selling Shein-branded clothing remains accessible. The state invoked Article 6.3 of France’s Digital Economy Act, which empowers judges to order measures to prevent or halt harm caused by online content.
“We don’t claim to be here to replace the European Commission,” the state’s lawyer said. “We are not here today to regulate; we are here to prevent harm, in the face of things that are unacceptable.” At the time of writing, the hearing is still ongoing.
In a statement issued last week, the Paris public prosecutor’s office said that a three-month suspension could be deemed “disproportionate” in light of European Court of Human Rights case law if Shein could prove that it had ceased all sales of illegal products. However, the public prosecutor’s office said it “fully supported” the government’s request that Shein provide evidence of the measures taken to stop such sales.
France’s decision comes against a backdrop of heightened scrutiny of Chinese giants such as Shein and Temu under the EU’s Digital Services Act, reflecting concerns about consumer safety, the sale of illegal products, and unfair competition. In the US, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Monday that he was investigating Shein to determine whether the fast-fashion retailer had violated state law relating to unethical labour practices and the sale of dangerous consumer products.
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Politics8 years ago