Fashion industry is growing, but new skills are required

In the next five years, 94 thousand profiles will be required in an ever more technical, digital and sustainable industry. As URSO says: export incentives and a Made in Italy high school.

In Italy, the fashion industry system has almost 66 thousand firms, about 600 thousand people and a turnover that will be nearly 100 billion euros in 2021. Since last year, there has been a far greater supply of job positions than the number of available workers, and businesses continue to face difficulties.

According to a survey by Altagamma-Unioncamere that was published in “I talenti del fare 2”, the demand for technical and professional job profiles in the next five years is estimated at 346,000 compared to 236,000 in 2019. This is an ambitious signal, which indicates a criticalitỳ and at the same time the significant growth of the global high-end market, which registers an increase of 21 percent in 2022. There is a growing need for Manufacturing professionals, of which, however, only 50% can be met to date. In detail, 108 thousand profiles are required in Automotive, 94 thousand in Fashion, 62 thousand in Food, 46 thousand in Design and Furniture, and 36 thousand in Hospitality. Craft and skilled artisans and workers in the Textile, Fashion and Accessories sector, which includes footwear and leather goods, are among the most difficult to find figures (according to Unioncamere for 65.5 percent). In a country like Italy, with an industrial vocation and districts with strong manufacturing and craft specialization, vocational training is a strategic lever for the competitiveness of businesses and the Made in Italy sector.

Unioncamere estimates that the industry expects between 63,000 and 94,000 new hires of skilled employees by 2026. Meanwhile, surveys by the Confindustria Moda Study Center show that in 2021 turnover will rise to 92.5 billion euros (+22.9 percent over the previous year), while exports will leap forward by 23.5 percent. The specific skills that the fashion supply chain in Italy needs have to do with sustainability, but also with mechatronics, chemistry, digital, and mechanics.

According to Confindustria Moda surveys, the most sought-after profiles, more than 40 types, can be identified in three areas: traditional, digital, sustainability. Traditional skills include: sewing worker, technical draughtsman, weaving mechanic, bench goldsmith, production planner, chemical expert, human resources manager. Among digital ones, the following are sought most: E-commerce Manager, Digital Analyst, Supply Chain Data Manager. Among the sustainability professions, the following are in demand: sustainability manager, product life-cycle manager. In this context, of note are the two memorandums of understanding signed between Confindustria Moda and Unioncamere and between Rete Tam and Unioncamere. Both include initiatives for communication and analysis of professional profiles to improve the attractiveness of the sector, encouraging school orientation. Lasting three years, the two protocols determine the commitment of the three entities in building an increasingly solid link between the world of work and the training system in order to combat youth unemployment and school dropout phenomena.

The luxury industry is still a source of national pride for 80 percent of consumers surveyed in Italy and shows great resilience globally, with a return to pre-Covid performance levels and industry growth estimates for more than 6 percent between 2022 and 2026. This is what emerges from the new Luxury Outlook 2022 study, published by Boston Consulting Group (Bcg) and Comitè Colbert. The report takes into account a qualitative analysis of about 40 luxury leaders and a survey of 2,000 users (luxury and non-luxury customers) in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.

The cross-country analysis shows that the luxury industry is recognized for quality (according to 64 percent of luxury customers and 56 percent of non-luxury customers), craftsmanship (according to 42 percent of luxury customers and 41 percent of non-luxury customers) and creativity (according to 38 percent of luxury customers and 30 percent of non-luxury customers). However, now more than ever, luxury is facing a deep change affecting several areas: production and resource management, product life cycle, customer relations, social responsibility, and globalization.

A key way to manage the life cycle of products is the second-hand market, which is growing twice as fast as new goods and has an estimated value of $50 billion as early as 2025. The market allows products to be given many lifetimes as they come to be used for decades after entering the market, which is why it is preferred by younger generations, especially Gen Z, 83 percent of whom say they only want to rent or own clothes temporarily. From the physical experience to the digital touch point, the luxury industry must also decline its excellence in new consumer experiences.

It is not only a matter of making strides in terms of innovation, but also of not losing ground on the new online distribution channels, which are increasingly populated by the young people – who will be the main luxury consumers in the future. When it comes to digital, in fact, the analysis shows that 65 percent of respondents perceive the luxury industry as being at a disadvantage compared to other sectors. In fact, nearly seven out of 10 people still consider the digital experience offered by luxury brands to be far removed from the in-store experience. Investing in the metaverse may be the right opportunity for luxury brands to step into the digital world and secure a touch point with their current and future customers. 64 percent of consumers aged 18-34 believe virtual reality facilitates the discovery of luxury brands, and 59 percent believe it can replicate the function of social media as we know it today.

Impressions that are reinforced with Gen Z and the Alpha, which represent the future consumers of luxury brands and increasingly inclined to spend their time online. According to the results of the interviews, luxury brands have already initiated social and environmental change, but even though 62 percent of luxury customers believe that luxury products are in fact durable goods, the industry necessarily needs to do more. For 60 percent of consumers, luxury should become promoters of environmental and social transition initiatives, and for another 85 percent, fashion houses should become more involved in managing the entire life cycle of their products.

As cultures evolve and consumer options in some countries increase, new markets are opening up for luxury. Between 2021 and 2025, two-thirds of the growth of companies in the industry will occur outside Europe and the United States. However, the rising costs of raw materials and energy remain to be resolved. Inflation is at its highest peak in 40 years, affecting the fashion industry as well: if the mass consumer market was the first to be affected, now the luxury sector is also suffering and starting to slow down. 

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The fashion industry is looking for attorneys to chase counterfeits

However, counterfeiting remains one of the most damaging elements for Italian fashion. In a market that is becoming more and more global and digital, the demand for fashion attorneys able to handle legal issues is constantly growing. “That of the fashion lawyers,” specifies Matilde Reggiani, Senior Consultant at JHunters, a brand of Hunters Group, “this is a profession in the legal sector that is taking off more and more. We find one, if not real divisions of it, within the most important law firms specializing in copyright protection. In recent times we have seen the emergence of dedicated corporate offices, both in big names and in smaller firms, so that there is a constant and timely presidium of this matter, which is really very complex.

The data we have speaks clearly: according to our monitoring office, requests for lawyers specializing in this area have grown by 10 percent in the past year.” To undertake such a career course, it is obviously necessary to obtain a law degree and the title of lawyer by passing the state exam. To this is then added a specialization path in the fashion field.

For example, the Academy of Luxury offers a series of specific courses, while some universities (such as the Statale in Milan or the Luiss in Rome) offer second-level masters degrees that have the goal of conveying highly qualified legal training with an international scope. The work of the fashion lawyer is very complex. Anyone who approaches this field must necessarily have a strong multi-disciplinary and transversal vision that also involves some aspects of marketing.

A precise understating of the logics underlying the fashion system and excellent interpersonal skills are also essential. These professionals will have to assist clients in the stages of ideation, brand filing, planning, production, distribution and promotion of products and services. Not only that, they will also have to support them in brand protection and litigation management. “Another new and extremely interesting aspect,” Reggiani concludes, “it concerns Influencer Marketing, for which the fashion lawyer comes into play both in support of the brand and in support of the individual influencer. There is therefore a sea magnum of potential clients that to date need legal support. This is an extremely complex and varied market, but highly remunerative: we are talking about fees of around 15 thousand euros for the initiation of summary precautionary proceedings and concluding in 30 days, up to 30 thousand for the initiation of ordinary merit proceedings. A fashion lawyer with between two and five years of experience can earn fees ranging from 30 thousand to 35 thousand euros gross per year, depending of course on the size of the firm or the clients it assists.”