MICAM Milano is a key event for footwear manufacturers, buyers, and industry professionals. It is the world’s most prestigious international footwear trade show and features collections from over 1,000 brands. So naturally, we went to explore.
At the MICAM Studio, we were lucky enough to meet key figures from Italian and international brands and get their insight into the next season’s exciting fashion trends.
PALOMA BARCELÒ: A Family Legacy
Close-up on the 2 Fall/Winter 2025/26 signature shoes from Paloma Barcelò.
Manuel Barceló is the third generation of one of Spain’s most beloved footwear brands. “Paloma Barceló is a family business. It started with my grandfather, and I represent the third generation. From the very beginning, we’ve been known for combining craftsmanship with innovation and design.”
For Fall-Winter 2025/26, the brand continues its distinctive aesthetic. “The trends for the upcoming season focus heavily on comfort and functionality,” Manuel tells us. “We’re emphasising flexible, lightweight soles for greater ease and wearability, paired with our signature trendy designs.”
One of Paloma Barceló’s most iconic styles is the high-heeled ankle boot. “We love adding a few extra centimeters in height.”
FESSURA: From High Performance to Everyday Wear
Elia Ferranti, Fessura’s Marketing Manager. Right: A detail of a model from the collection.
“Fessura was founded in 2010 with a manually assembled, glue-free shoe. It is the ultimate eco-friendly footwear,” explains Elia Ferranti, Marketing Manager of the Marche-based brand, which blends functionality and fashion in it’s running and trail shoes. “Sportswear is making a bold entry into the fashion segment. More and more people engage in sports, creating demand for footwear that is both stylish and performance-driven,” Elia tells us.
The brand divides its collections into Lifestyle and Performance lines, with the latter including high-performance, race-ready footwear. The flagship model is the GSR (Great Sibillini Ring), an ultra-lightweight, cutting-edge shoe designed for top-tier performance.
INBLU: Pioneering Advanced Technologies
Ruggero Abbiati, Inblu’s International Manager. Right: One of the new models for Fall-Winter 2025/26.
“A well-known brand offering great value for money.” This is how Ruggero Abbiati describes Inblu, the Italian footwear company founded in the 1970s and now widely recognised across Europe.
Comfort is the brand’s defining feature, particularly in models featuring Dual Density Technology. “This revolutionary product has an ultra-soft insole, a rigid yet flexible sole, and is glue-free, making it more sustainable.”
Sustainability has been a top priority for Inblu for years. “Our injection-moulding technology eliminates glue and solvent-based adhesives, which are both highly polluting and carcinogenic. We’ve also developed water-based coatings to further reduce environmental impact.”
BRUNATE: A Century of Expertise
Close-up of a Brunate Fall-Winter 2025/26 model.
"We produce shoes and daytime footwear for women, so for the woman who moves, works, and is active, the first thing is practicality," explains Andrea Galli, manager and descendant of the Brunate shoe factory, a company that turns 100 years old in 2026. "The flagship product for next winter is definitely a dark brown or burgundy shoe, in glossy but always natural materials. It’s an everyday shoe to wear from 7 in the morning to 10 at night."
NEROGIARDINI: Investing in People
Left: Enrico Bracalente. Right: A Fall-Winter 2025/26 model.
Born in the 1980s but truly launched in the early 2000s, NeroGiardini is now a leading brand at the European level. Enrico Bracalente, at the helm of B.A.G. Spa, the company that owns the NeroGiardini brand, told us: “We are investing in human capital and commercial structures because we want to strengthen our position in the domestic market and expand into the European market as well as six international markets.”
For several seasons, the brand has chosen a specific category as its flagship product: boots. “Our standout product is boots—they hold significant importance in our collections. We anticipate that 2025 will be the year of the boot boom.”
MOU: A Fusion of DNA and Creativity
Left: A Fall-Winter 2025/26 model. Right: Simone Ponziani, CEO of Artcrafts International SpA.
"The uniqueness of Mou lies in its very name, which in French means 'soft to the touch.' So, comfort, a sense of cosiness, and softness are intrinsic to the brand,” says Simone Ponziani, CEO of Artcrafts International SpA, a company with a portfolio of brands including Crocs, Scholl, Ipanema, and, of course, Mou. "It’s a London-based brand born in the early 2000s from the intuition of its founder and current creative director, Shelley Tichborne, who realised there could be a market for this type of product."
The brand has become a cult favourite, positioning itself in an accessible price range while using sustainable methods. "Mou has its own path and identity, and the influence of evolving fashion trends is incorporated into its DNA without ever altering it."
PRIMADONNA: Synonymous with Heels
Left: Valerio Tatarella, founder of Primadonna. Right: Two Fall-Winter 2025/26 models.
Valerio Tatarella, founder of Primadonna Spa, explained: “A constant, targeted search for what women might desire—trying to reach them with exactly what they want at that very moment, in that precise instant of the season.”
He describes 2025 as being a strong period for the brand, which stylistically finds its highest expression in the return of the high, ultra-feminine heel. “Sneakers still account for a very high revenue, but heels are starting to reclaim a lot of space, and we’re happy because Primadonna means heels.”
GIO+: Making Trends Instead of Following Them
Left: Samuela Picchio, Product Manager of Gio+. Right: A Fall-Winter 2025/26 model.
"We don’t just follow trends—we try to set them,” says Samuela Picchio, Product Manager of Gio+, a brand known for blending craftsmanship and style in its footwear.
"Our brand was born from a family business, founded by Gianni Ciarapica, 'Gio' from Gionni, and '+' to symbolise everyone who collaborates with him. We believe every woman should be able to leave the house in the morning feeling comfortable - perhaps in sneakers - while still maintaining a refined, original touch. Originality is our focus."
The brand’s flagship model is the sporty-inspired lace-up shoe, elevated with embellishments and distinctive details. These signature elements also feature in the brand’s latest explorations, such as combat boots adorned with oversized bows.
ID-EIGHT: Sustainability Meets Style
Left: Giuliana Borzillo, co-founder of ID-Eight. Right: Close-up of the Hana model.
ID-Eight is a young brand, born in 2019 from a real need: finding a sneaker that was both sustainable and stylish. “I wanted to buy a sustainable sneaker—I’m really passionate about this topic—but I couldn’t find anything that stood out. Every brand I saw was offering a basic look, and that didn’t excite me,” says Giuliana Borzillo, co-founder of the brand alongside her husband, a footwear designer.
With the goal of adding a more creative touch to the concept, they developed their iconic model, Hana, which merges aesthetics and sustainability. “We chose to use only cruelty-free materials derived from food industry waste, like apple peels, pineapple fibres, grape skins, and corn—bio-based materials that replace a significant amount of polyurethane. This allows us to avoid leather, wool, and silk while also steering away from simply using plastic as an alternative.”
“We try not to follow trends; our product is continuous. But for Fall-Winter 2025, we’re bringing back warm, earthy colours—classic winter shades of brown and sage.”