REPORTAGE
Three new regions affected, at least 322 people infected and ten deaths (according to the latest report available) ... Italy is facing the brunt of the coronavirus epidemic by being the most affected country in Europe. While the Paris stock market has fallen to its lowest level since 2016, the Italian economy is also slowing down. At the end of Milan Fashion Week, the first economic sector affected within the "boot" is that of luxury.
"We are worried about the month of March"
A black protective mask on his suit, a security guard opens the door of the shop, a gesture he makes for the first time of the day. No customer came to Ilaria to buy jewelry on Tuesday, who is waiting behind his computer. "Since this weekend, the Italians stay at home, they don't come to the city center," she explains at the microphone of Europe 1. "We had cancellations from Singapore, from Europe too ... And we are worried about the month of March ".
>> Watch Matthieu Belliard's morning show in replay and in podcast here
Lots of cancellations during Fashion Week
Same story for Mario, who sells leather bags and shoes in a shop a little further: no sale of the day. "During Fashion Week, the hotels in the area had a lot of cancellations, especially from their Asian customers. And we are starting to feel it too, I think we will have a drop of 20 or 30% ", he worries. A feeling also shared by Carlo Capasa, the president of the national fashion chamber: "The first semester, we had to increase our turnover by 2.5%, but we will rather decrease by 2.5%, that’s so 5% loss over half the year is a lot ... "
Especially since in Milan, the Italian fashion capital, the potential for Chinese customers is immense. Proof of this is, to allow them to follow Fashion Week, which was held there from February 18 to 24, the Italians broadcast all the fashion shows on the Internet, results: 16 million people connected in just a few days.