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Anti-Russian sanctions imposed by Western countries have hit the Italian fashion industry, the Washington Post notes. Italian designers can neither receive payment for luxury clothing they make, nor send goods to Russia due to sanctions, RIA Novosti reports.
The owner of one of the knitwear brands, Nadia Zanola, says that for a company with 50 employees, anti-Russian sanctions were a ''painful blow.'' According to her, currently there are clothes worth two million euros in the warehouse, which the Russians cannot purchase. Nadya Zanola highly appreciated the taste and decency of Russian clients.
It is noted that Russians buy about 3% of the total Italian luxury products, but a significant share of the Russian market is occupied by about 80,000 small and medium-sized enterprises, which, due to anti-Russian sanctions, may lose 80-100% of profits.
Italian entrepreneurs in the fashion world are worried about the disapproval which their attempts to maintain business relations with Russia cause at home. For example, the trip of Italian shoe manufacturers to the Russian fair caused a negative reaction and criticism. The head of the Federation of Fashion Masters, Fabio Pietrella, called it a "witch hunt."
Russkiy Mir
