Camomilla stand.

The global economic downturn has had its effect on smaller European retailers in the household products sector, said buyers at Milan's top houseware and gift show, Macef. The 2008 autumn show from 5 to 8 September had some 1,500 fewer buyers, with 75,400 visitors at the event. Gallery owner Paola Dhui Perrone said the drop in sales by smaller retailers ought to be reflected in future Macef shows, which should offer a larger range of products.

The exhibition in Milan's new fair centre also comprised a silver exhibition, arts and crafts, costume jewellery and a fashion accessories event. The crafts market played a major role at this event, again possibly due to the caution of leading buyers and greater emphasis on "green" sensitivities.

Indeed, particularly trendy were collections taking their inspiration from nature, eco-sustainability and recycling. Soft and organic shapes prevailed over geometrical lines in many products, with natural materials, primitive design and tribal graphics in their element.

Colours were also inspired by nature in many displays: brown, terracotta, mustard, dark orange, musk green, sepia, clay, ecru and white were the prevalent ones. Leaf and flower motifs were often interpreted as a form of romanticism.

D&M Depot clay collection.

Lino Sabattini.

Companies such as Belgium's D&M Depot made the most of the "eco look" with its raw and coloured argil vases; Italian design house Lino Sabattini presented table complements made in natural linen and steel, while another Italian designer, Rudi Rabitti, offered home products in leather.

Plastic and stainless steel were also to be seen in many homeware and gifts collections.

Winter colours for 2008 were intense and dark, including grey, purple, red, blue and black. At the same time opulence shone through with metallic flashes (of gold, copper, bronze and silver). This trend was often highlighted by floral patterns.

In furnishing, one strong trend continues to be with modern design that's on the edge of pure artwork.

Rudi Rabitti leather bowl.

Georg Jensen cheese board.

Oppure Cartone Design, a unit of Italian industrial group Cortepack came up with a particularly attractive "eco collection" with furnishing incorporating recyclable corrugated boards designed by architecture studio, Doppiospazio. Mirrors, frames, lamps and coat hangers along with tables, bookcases and chairs were in harmony with the concept of modern nomadism.

Danish design company Georg Jensen, well known for ergonomically shaped items, produced stainless steel cutlery reminiscent of nature. There was a cheese board with a knife shaped like a water drop.

Retail shops and shops-within-shops appear to making headway for Georg Jensen with good 2007 sales in Hong Kong and Australia, according to the company.

Crystal collection from IVAT.

Italian brand IVAT Cristallerie, which has sales centres in the UAE, the US, Hong Kong and on the Chinese mainland, indicated that the competition with Mainland products is somewhat uneven because prices are not comparable. The Italian products have to focus on quality and on design to stand out.

Glass collections from IVAT draw inspiration from luxury and use gold, silver, copper and precious decorations. The collection (with average retail prices at Euros150) includes craquele-worked coloured glasses at Euros4.5 each.

The height of craftsmanship

Lladró is a respected Spanish manufacturer of porcelain. Both Antonio F Vargas, general sales director, and Stefano Basile, director for strategy and planning for the brand, said participation at Macef was satisfactory.

Lladró is present in Hong Kong as Disvasa Pacific Ltd. Hong Kong is the company's regional headquarter for Asia outside Japan and India.

Chinese dragon porcelain figure.

Bonini: Chinese mainland sales online.

The company's representation of the Buddhist goddess Kwan Yin is one of the most appreciated of its work in porcelain using a Chinese style. The products are designed and hand made in Valencia. Retail prices range from Euros150 to Euros130,000. The large and magnificent Chinese dragon costs Euros20,000.

Sara Bonini, press agent and marketing director of Italian costume jewellery brand Alcozer & J, said that while Europe is the centre for sales, the Chinese mainland is picking up with sales online and through international trade fairs.

Hand-signed knives.

Alcozer's new collections comprise semi-precious stones, including amethysts and jade, contrasting with gold. Winter colours include purple, green, brown and black. Retail prices range for bracelets from Euros80 to Euros250 and necklaces from Euros100 to Euros800, with rings selling at Euros160.

For cutlery manufacturer Coltellerie Berti, the upper end of the Chinese mainland market is of particular interest, with affluent Mainland shoppers likely to buy its hand-signed knives made from steel, box-wood, horn, or wash-resistant cold-cast methacrylate. Retail prices for the kitchen knives are from Euros250, table knives priced at between Euros50 and Euros150, while a collection of 10 or 12 knives will cost up to Euros4,000.

Camomilla bags and accessories.

The Italian designer Camomilla is in a venture with Japanese-based Sanrio to develop bags for the Hello Kitty brand, aimed at teenagers. Next winter's trend will focus on what's called a Tweed Romance line, with bags featuring rounded shapes taking inspiration from the 1970s. There'll also be Princess Luxury and Princess Cameo collections, as well as a collection of shoes.

Chinese mainland sourcing firm Yiwu Haode Trading Co Ltd was present at Macef for the first time and was satisfied with the fair, although noted the fewer buyers at the event. Its products included gifts such as plastic key-cases, pendants for mobile phones and vanity sets that featured decorated combs made of metal, rhinestone, and coloured enamel. Wholesaler prices ranged from Euros0.2 to Euros5.

Mainland producer Yiwu Kingdom Arts & Crafts Co Ltd focuses on the US market for large orders and on Europe for higher-quality products. At Macef, it presented collections of frames with gold/black or red/black floreal decorations. Wholesale prices ranged from Euros1 to Euros4 for frames and from Euros5 to Euros20 for paintings.

Glass frames from Yiwu Kingdom Arts & Crafts.

Bags presented by Xiamen Picvalue.

Xiamen Picvalue Corp from the Mainland manufactures thermal bags for picnics in a number of formats and functions, invoking a lively and colourful fantasy in its presentation. Michael Huang, general manager, said the company was at the fair to acquire customers in Italy. Picvalue's wholesale prices start from Euros2 each for a medium-size bag.

Jiangsu SunShine DongSheng I/E Co Ltd manufactures puppets, cushions and baby products. Shirley Xie, manager, noted the limited presence of buyers in this edition of Macef, an exhibition that the company took part in for the first time. It offers wholesale prices from Euros0.5 to Euros3.

from special correspondents Cristina Bellavista and
Clara Dodino, Milan