The fashion business demonstrated its strength at SIMM

The high stature of the collections presented at the Madrid International Fashion Fair attracted more than 31,500 visiting professionals.

The staging of the fair between Thursday and Sunday was a successful new measure, given that it permitted a more uniform attendance of buyers throughout the fair's four-day duration and confirmed the event's eminently trade character

Fashion and business once again joined forces at the 55th edition of the Madrid International Fashion Fair (SIMM), the trade event for the clothing industry organised by IFEMA. Throughout its four-day duration, between Thursday 9th and Sunday 12th February at Feria de Madrid, the fair once again became an essential meeting-point for manufacturers and distributors of high-quality fashion from around the world. At this edition, the LatinoAméricaFashion and MODA VIVA Fashion Shows played a leading role.
The 55th edition of SIMM, the Madrid International Fashion Fair, welcomed some 31,529 visiting professionals, a similar figure to that recorded at the February edition last year. On this occasion, the decision to stage the fair between Thursday and Sunday (compared to the habitual Friday-Monday arrangement) proved to be a successful one, given that it permitted a more uniform attendance of buyers throughout the fair's four-day duration and confirmed the event's eminently trade character. 
As far as the origin of the Spanish buyers is concerned, the fair witnessed a slight increase in the number of visitors from Aragón, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and Murcia, whilst the number of professionals from Catalonia, Andalusia and Galicia remained stable. The number of visitors from Madrid, Andalusia and Galicia decreased slightly.
The attendance of buyers from other countries continues to increase gradually at each new edition of SIMM. On this occasion, the fair welcomed some 3,177 professionals from abroad, attending the fair from 69 countries, which represents 10 per cent of the overall figure. 

Over 2,000 Represented Brands.
SIMM opened its doors on Thursday 9th February, bringing together a total of 1,092 companies from 34 different countries. The fair took place in Halls 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10 at Feria de Madrid, featuring a net exhibition area measuring 39,377 square metres. In this respect, the fair consolidated its position as the second most important trade event for the industry in Europe.
The official inauguration took place on Friday, 10th February, presided over by the Head of the Madrid Regional Government, Mrs. Esperanza Aguirre. During her tour of the fair, Mrs. Aguirre visited numerous exhibiting companies accompanied by the Vice-President of the Spanish Foreign Trade Institute (ICEX), Mr. Ángel Martín Acebes, as well as the President of the Spanish Federation of Clothes Manufacturing Companies (FEDECON) and the Chairman of SIMM's Organizing Committee, Mr. Pablo García, among other figures.
This edition of SIMM presented the Autumn-Winter 2006/07 collections of nearly 2,000 women's fashion, men's fashion, fur and accessory brands. The predominant characteristics of all these brands were their high levels of quality and design, these being the two differentiating factors that numerous Spanish and European companies have decided to focus on in order to face the challenges of the future. 
Following the climate of concern that existed throughout the industry last year as a result of the removal of import quotas for Asian products, especially products from China, the measures taken by the exhibiting companies are starting to take effect. The search for new business formulas and the creation of high-quality lines with strong brand image are beginning to yield their rewards, although companies continue to reveal a cautious approach with regard to the future.  
In general terms, the exhibitors at this edition achieved the same or better results than those of last February's edition of SIMM. For its part, the fur segment, which was brought together at the IBERPIEL-PELETERÍA Exhibition, remained stable compared to previous editions.
A Grand Forum for International Fashion
The high level of participation on the part of international companies at this edition of SIMM, confirmed the event's status as one of the leading centres for business within the world of fashion. We might highlight the strong presence of European brands -especially from Portugal, France and Italy - and brands from Latin America, including companies from Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico. 
This considerable level of interest on the part of Latin American clothing design and manufacturing companies was once again reflected at the second edition of the LatinoAméricaFashion Show. On this occasion, the Fashion Show took place on Wednesday 8th February, a day before the fair itself began, staged in the same setting that was used a few days later for the presentation of the PASARELA CIBELES collections. At this edition, the guest designers included Mareu Nitschke, from Brazil; Mecha, from Mexico; and Olga Piedrahita, from Colombia. The public, who packed out the hall where the Show was staged, were highly appreciative of the original and cutting-edge collections presented by each of the participating designers.

Warm Reception for the MODA VIVA Fashion Shows
The MODA VIVA Fashion Shows took place over the first three days of the fair on a catwalk set up in Hall 3 at Feria de Madrid. The attendance of fashion professionals interested in discovering the new ideas presented in these Fashion Shows was excellent, with every show being packed to the brim.
The morning sessions were devoted to the latest fashion ideas from Castile-Leon, through the participation of Carlos de Miguel, Torio, Mafe’s, Concha Ceballos, Paralelo, Riverside-Rosalita McGee, Antón & Moda, Ángel Iglesias, Jimena Rilova, Raquel Tomillo, Eugenia Ortiz, Esther Noriega and Isabel Luaces.
In the afternoon sessions, Araujo Piel, Best Fashion, Charo Carrillo, J&M, Paolo Stefannelli by Euros Brumario and Solider shared the MODA VIVA catwalk in order to present the latest trends in fur fashion. In all cases, the careful design of the collections was combined with quality craftsmanship and a selection of the best pelts.
Furthermore, a large number of companies organised their own fashion shows at their stands, featuring various daily sessions staged throughout the course of the fair. The next edition of SIMM will take place between 31st August and 3rd September at Feria de Madrid, featuring the collections for next Spring-Summer 2007.
Madrid International Fashion Week
The recently concluded edition of SIMM opened MADRID INTERNATIONAL FASHION WEEK. Madrid International Fashion Week brings together all the trade events connected to the world of fashion organised by IFEMA, in addition to SIMM -TEXTILMODA, Textile Fashion Show, PASARELA CIBELES and SIPIEL, International Leather Week, featuring MODACALZADO and IBERPIEL MARROQUINERIA fairs. All of them take place at Feria de Madrid.
As well as encompassing all these trade fairs, MADRID INTERNATIONAL FASHION WEEK presents a number of activities that are open to the general public. At this edition, the Casa de Vacas Cultural Centre, located in the Park of El Buen Retiro, hosts the exhibition HOMBRESENFALDA ("Men in Skirts") until 2nd March and organized by IFEMA. Furthermore, the first edition of THE EGO OF PASARELA CIBELES took place on 18th and 19th February. This initiative was created in order to promote young talents within the world of fashion design, bringing together the fashion industry's cutting-edge creative instincts with potential clients. On Saturday 18th, eight fashion shows staged by young designers took place, whilst, the following day, nearly thirty young designers exhibited their collections to buyers and the general public.