From 24 to 26 February Made in Italy was the protagonist in Manhattan. At the Jacob K. Javits Center there was a new edition of Coterie New York, the main American show dedicated to contemporary womenswear, which this year saw the largest Italian participation ever organized by the ICE Agency.
For the 2026 edition, ICE has sponsored over 81 Italian brands of women’s clothing and accessories, marking a significant increase compared to the 60 companies present last year. A result that confirms the strategic centrality of the American market for the Italian fashion sector and the commitment of the government agency to support businesses in a structured way, especially small and medium sized.
To emphasize the importance of the appointment was the presence of the Consul General of Italy in New York, Giuseppe Pastorelli, settled for almost two months.
“We are a team: the Consulate, the Italian Institute of Culture, ICE, ENIT, the Chamber of Commerce, the Bank of Italy. All parts of a Italian system that must work together to promote and tell Italy to the American public. Each of us brings ideas, professionalism, initiatives. Today we are here with ICE in Coterie”, said Pastorelli.
The Consul highlighted how numerical growth – from 60 to over 80 companies – represents “a great opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises to present themselves to the American market, to know or strengthen”. In Italy, it has remembered, operate approximately 4 million SMEs: “The large companies sometimes do not need public support, but the small and medium-sized ones do. Here comes the extraordinary work that is doing ICE”.
Of the brands present, 16 participated for the first time in Coterie, distributed between ready-to-wear women, handbags, footwear and fashion jewelry. In addition to the established names, new designers brought collections to the fair designed to intercept an American consumer increasingly attentive to the manufacturing quality and identity of brands.
“Edition 2026 of Coterie, new pavilion, 81 Italian companies, 20 more than last edition, with a great desire to conquer the American consumer”, said Erica Di Giovancarlo, Trade Commissioner and Executive Director for the United States of ICE. “The American market is for Italy the most important extra-European. The companies participate with motivation, despite the difficulties and a context of uncertainty also linked to the question of duties”.
A climate that has not braked enthusiasm: “I am at my third Coterie and this year I see a different energy: variety of products, determination, enthusiasm. 2025 presented challenges, but companies faced them with great capacity. The presence of 81 brands shows how much they believe in the prospects of this market”.
Pastorelli, strong of previous experiences in Boston and Toronto, insisted on the value of collaboration between institutions: “Units wins. I saw what it means in Toronto. Here in New York the model is even bigger, faster, but working together you can make the difference in a global showcase where everyone wants to be present». The Console has also expanded the look beyond fashion: “Here at Coterie we have exposed women’s fashion, of which Italy is an important voice. But we must also make known other aspects of the country: mechanics, space, pharmaceuticals, fundamental drivers of our export. The challenge is more America and more Italy together”.
In the dense calendar of the event, ICE organized a photo shoot on site with all 81 brands, entrusted to the fashion photographer Samantha Rapp: editorial models and catwalk interpreted the complete looks of Italian designers, offering retailers a dynamic vision of the collections, beyond the staticness of the stand.
The central lounge, set in Alpine chalet style in homage to the contemporary Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, welcomed buyers and operators with tastings and networking moments. There are also influencers and content creators, including Steve Gonzalez, along with the media fashion partners of the organization, involved in editorial sessions dedicated to new brands.
The United States remains the main extra-market EU for Made in Italy in fashion. The sector represents the third Italian manufacturing sector in size, with approximately 45.000 enterprises and 393.000 employees.
In the first eleven months of 2025, the total value of US fashion and accessories imports from Italy grew by 2.47% compared to the same period of the previous year, with a market share of 3.81%. In the women’s clothing and accessories segment the growth was around 2%, with a share of 2.77%. However, Italy fell from the seventh to the ninth place among US global suppliers in the sector, signaling an increasingly tight international competition.
In this scenario, the compact presence in Coterie takes on a meaning that goes beyond the single fair. It is a message of continuity and trust towards a complex but unreliable market.
“There is so much question of Italy – said Pastorelli – and we must be able to respond with a quality offer. Never alone, always together».
L’articolo Coterie New York: Made in Italy protagonist proviene da IlNewyorkese.
