Even in today’s digital world, in which many choose to do their shopping online, Pitti Immagine Uomo has proven that people are still willing to flock to physical trade shows – 30,000 people in fact.

The event, which, since its founding in 1978, has evolved from a small Florentine showcase of 30 brands into an international affair, sees 1,100 brands from over 200 countries exhibiting their wares – originally, 80 percent of the show consisted of men’s formal wear, 90 percent of which was Italian.

Now, however, it’s the domestic Italian menswear market – precisely the market that the show was originally intended to benefit – that’s struggling. Whilst, undoubtedly, the event has done much to promote Italian men’s fashion, last year the domestic Italian menswear market saw a downturn of 9.3 percent – marking the fifth consecutive year of decline in domestic consumption.

The obvious question, then, is whether the opening-up of Pitti Immagine to international brands has actually stymied growth in the domestic market.

Claudio Marenzi, president of Sistema Moda Italia, certainly doesn’t hold this view, stating rather that: “[although] many people were not positive about the opening of Pitti to other [non-Italian] brands because they said this will affect our business […] in my opinion it was exactly the contrary. Now you can find in the same place the best selection in the world, simplifying the life of the big buyers.”

The idea is that any ephemeral changes to individual markets – Italian, British, French, etc. – are subsumed by the importance of the overarching vision: the internationalisation of the fashion world.

This can be seen from the fact that, whilst the domestic Italian menswear market may be weaker, exports have actually increased. Indeed, exports to the UK increased by 7.9% in 2013, generating £364m alone.

So there may be something to the international model, under which the ups and downs of any one market can be offset by events in others, making the global fashion economy more stable and predictable for all.