MILAN: Milan's menswear fashion week started on Saturday amid concerns over the economy and also the fate of Vittorio Missoni, one of Italy's best-known clothes executives, whose plane disappeared off Venezuela a week ago.
Italy's luxury goods industry is set to continue to outperform other sectors this year, according to analysts, helped by the appetite of Asian shoppers for the country's tailored suits and leather shoes.
But prospects for the economy remain as gloomy as the cloudy skies under which hundreds of fashion critics and buyers rushed on Saturday to watch the menswear proposals for next winter.
Orders for the Italian menswear collections that will arrive in stores around the world this summer have fallen 8 percent, Italy's textile and fashion body Sistema Moda Italia (SMI) said.
Over half of domestic menswear manufacturers polled by SMI said they saw no sign of improvement this year, while the remaining 44 percent said they were preparing for deterioration.
The fashion world is also awaiting news about Missoni, eldest son of one of Italy's most famous fashion families.
A small twin-engine aircraft carrying Missoni, 58, his wife Maurizia Castiglioni, another couple and two Venezuelan crew went missing on Jan. 4 after taking off from the Caribbean island resort of Los Roques.
The Missoni fashion house, known for its exuberantly coloured knits featuring bold stripes and zigzags, said it had decided to go ahead with its show in Milan, although the family is unlikely to attend.
Media reported on Saturday that the location where the plane disappeared may have been found, but it was not possible to get an immediate comment from Italy's foreign ministry.
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