“Il Bello della Moda”: the first observatory designed to measure the value of Italian fashion
Presented by Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana with McKinsey & Company as Knowledge Partner
On 1 July 2026 in Milan, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana presented “Il Bello della Moda” (The Beauty of Fashion), the first observatory designed to measure the value of the Italian fashion industry and highlight its industrial, occupational, educational, cultural and social dimensions.
“We plan to help communicate Italian fashion in its entirety, backed up by data and analysis, to go beyond narratives that too often focus solely on the critical aspects and to offer a wider vision and a fuller representation of the value that our industry generates for the country every day,” said Carlo Capasa, Chairman of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana.
The Observatory was set up with support, among others, from McKinsey & Company acting as Knowledge Partner, and with the contribution of IntelliSurvey and Angelo Rughetti. It will gradually involve universities, research centres, including Open Impact, and Italian and international institutions, and will take shape through periodic publications focusing on the various aspects that make up Italian fashion.
The initial findings confirm the strategic role of the industry as a driver of Italy’s economic, employment and cultural growth. Fashion accounts for approximately 5% of Italy’s industrial output and is supported by a production network spanning 47 provinces, sustaining more than 500,000 direct jobs and around one million jobs across the entire value chain. It also remains one of Italy’s strongest drivers of international appeal: up to 70% of students enrolled in the country’s leading fashion schools come from abroad, while nearly 7 out of 10 international visitors cite fashion among the main reasons for choosing Italy as a travel destination.
“Measuring the value of fashion means recognizing its strategic role in Italy’s competitiveness,” commented Gemma D’Auria, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company and global co-leader of the Apparel, Fashion & Luxury practice.
The presentation opened with an institutional address by the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, and featured Carlo Capasa, Gemma D’Auria, Sven Smit, Senior Partner Emeritus and Special Advisor at McKinsey & Company, and Paula Wallace, Founder & President of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Renzo Rosso, President and Founder of OTB Group, and Alfonso Dolce, President and CEO of the Dolce&Gabbana Group, shared their views on fashion as an engine of economic, cultural and social growth, stressing the need to invest in young people, education and new technologies while nurturing the bond with local communities and passing artisanal know-how on to future generations.
