Paolo Monfermoso
General Manager
Filo
In an exclusive interview, the TVC Media Team sits down with Paolo Monfermoso, the General Manager of Filo, to discuss the recent successes of the 63rd edition of the International Yarns and Fibres Exhibition held in Milan. With extensive expertise in event management and project coordination, Monfermoso has played a pivotal role in steering Filo through challenging economic landscapes while maintaining its status as a leading platform for textile innovation and sustainability.
The latest exhibition showcased remarkable collections that drew significant attention from international buyers, emphasizing Filo’s commitment to quality and cutting-edge manufacturing techniques. Monfermoso highlights the importance of collaboration within the industry, as evidenced by partnerships with notable organizations such as ITA-Agency, which facilitated a diverse delegation of professionals from across the globe. As the conversation unfolds, we will explore Monfermoso’s insights on the future of the textile sector, the significance of sustainability in manufacturing, and how Filo continues to adapt to meet the evolving needs of its exhibitors and visitors alike.
The 63rd edition of Filo has been described as a success despite global economic challenges. What factors do you believe contributed to this positive outcome?
I think that the decisive factor in the success of the 63rd edition of Filo was the quality of the collections proposed by the exhibitors, together with the effective approach that Filo has adopted since its inception. Buyers and visitors are certain that at Filo they will find textile materials of the highest quality, innovative and attentive to sustainability and traceability, proposed by companies ready to collaborate with customers to meet their requests.
The formula of the fair – organized over two days – the choice of Milan and a venue suitable for trade fair exhibitions, the layout of the fair itself – designed to make it easy for professionals to visit – complete the picture and make Filo a point of reference in the panorama of textile fairs. In other words, the success of Filo63 does not arise by chance, but from the characters that Filo has deployed over the years and to which it remains faithful, while adapting from time to time to the changing needs of companies, following changes in the market.
Sustainability was a key focus of this edition, especially with the Filo Capsule Collection. How do you see sustainability shaping the future of the textile industry?
Sustainability – and perhaps even more so, traceability – are crucial goals for a textile industry capable of successfully facing the future. At Filo, we are well aware of this, so much so that in 2019, we launched our FiloFlow project, a sustainability project that aims to highlight the environmental protection and social responsibility programs of the companies participating in Filo.
Since they are generally small and medium-sized companies, they sometimes have difficulty communicating the great steps forward they have made in this field. This is why, as Filo, we have made ourselves available to them to act as a sounding board for these characteristics of theirs and today, most Filo exhibitors participate in FiloFlow. Sustainability and traceability are also recurring topics in our “Dialoghi di Confronto”, the talks in which we propose the most interesting case histories and best practices, in fact, we are certain that dialogue and the example “from producer to producer” are the best way to spread more sustainable business models.
Filo is known for promoting innovation in the textile sector. Could you elaborate on specific innovations showcased during the 63rd edition that stood out to you?
The role of a fair is precisely to “promote” innovation. Filo wants to be seen by professionals as a work platform where collaborations among different stages of the supply chain can be created and developed, which then leads to the creation of innovative products. In other words, we provide the context in which companies, which play a leading role in innovation, move. Filo also represents a “showcase of innovation” through the “Dialoghi di Confronto,” where extremely innovative products are presented.
For the 63rd edition, I am thinking, for example, of the knitted QR code created by some researchers from the Polytechnic University of Milan, which holds the patent: it represents a sustainable alternative to traditional labels. The “Sustainability from A to Z” service, which we propose in each edition in collaboration with the international eco-hub CLASS, is also a showcase of innovation. Our Filo Capsule Collection itself is an example of innovation.
How has the collaboration with ITA-Agency and regional initiatives like the Piedmont Region’s Integrated Textile Supply Chain Project enhanced Filo’s international reach?
The collaborations with ITA-Agency and the Piedmont Region – through Ceip its agency for internationalization – have lasted for many years and are decidedly positive. At each edition they bring buyers to the fair from countries that are of particular interest to our exhibitors, which can thus expand their presence on international markets. For a fair like Filo that has effectiveness as a command, both of them are indispensable collaborations.
The Capsule Collection was highlighted as a significant innovation. What was the inspiration behind it, and how has it been received by exhibitors and buyers?
I’ll start with the second part of the question: the Filo Capsule Collection has aroused interest from visitors that has gone far beyond our own expectations. I’m very pleased about this because Filo has invested – and will continue to invest – a lot in this project. It is in fact a project with unprecedented characteristics in the international trade fair panorama: for the first time a trade fair is producing a collection of fabrics made from the yarns of its exhibitors.
The aim of the Filo Capsule Collection is to show textile professionals the great development potential of the materials exhibited at the fair. The initial inspiration is the product development proposals, one of Filo’s flagships. For Filo63, they were launched in December 2024 through the suggestions of the textile themes brought together in “Collages”. The Filo Capsule Collection is a perfect example of collaboration and synergy between all the players of the textile supply chain present at Filo: the spinning mills, the dyeing plants, the finishing, the embroidery and the weaving, for a result that offers fabric samples of great quality and originality, characterized by complete traceability.
The 63rd edition saw participation from buyers across multiple countries. What strategies do you employ to attract such a diverse group of international buyers?
Our strategy to attract buyers from all over the world is very simple: to propose interesting and innovative collections made by reliable companies. It may sound like a joke, but it is based on the awareness that, today, quality wins. Buyers do not have time and money to waste; they ask for concreteness and efficiency, and at Filo, they are sure to find both.
360-degree communication counts for a lot and we are committed to improving on this front. However, the fact remains that even if you create the most amazing communication campaign, if you do not have the content, buyers do not respond.
Trade fairs like Filo play a critical role in connecting supply and demand. How do you ensure that Filo remains relevant and impactful in an increasingly digital world?
In the textile-clothing industry, “touching” the product is essential to understand its characteristics and to imagine its possible developments. The moment of the trade fair is therefore essential to propose the collections to customers. Digital can be a precious ally in communication – it was especially so during the pandemic lockdowns – but it cannot replace the direct encounter, the sensation that touch allows for a textile product.
Looking ahead to the 64th edition in September 2025, what new themes or initiatives can we expect to see at Filo?
In the 64th edition of Filo, we will continue to focus on the challenges that textiles face today: sustainability, traceability, product quality, digitalization, and the internationalization of companies. As far as Italy is concerned, there is also the problem of training workers: we must be able to make young people understand the charm of working in an industry that produces “beautiful and well-made” products. These are huge issues, on which we as Filo try to give our contribution by organizing a “beautiful and well-made” fair, to paraphrase a slogan that is often associated to Made in Italy.
As General Manager of Filo, what drives your passion for the textile industry, and how do you envision your role in shaping its future?
I was born in textiles: the area where I come from – Biella – has an ancient textile tradition. You could say that I “breathed” the extraordinary creative and innovative capacity of this industry since I was born. Through Filo I hope I can give my contribution to make this exceptional manufacturing sector even richer, more innovative and sustainable.
