Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni was founded in 1982 to meet the needs of wedding and formal wear manufacturers who increasingly claimed their own space in the fashion world. Thus, this event organised by Expo ct. started to take place in conjunction with Fashion Week, twice a year, in March and October.
The 1983 editions confirmed the drive towards the valorisation of a rich and charming Made in Italy created by stylists and creative designers who were increasingly motivated to give value to ceremonies and special occasions with equally unique garments.
The year 1984 saw the participation of 40 Italian Style Houses and brought about 3,000 specialised attendees to the March and October editions. The quality of the event's exhibition was confirmed and received the attention and favour of the sector’s operators.
In 1985, Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni introduced itself to the world as the only Italian exhibition specialising in bridal and formal wear. International attendance started to be significant: more than 20 per cent of the approximately 3,400 total operators present at the March and October editions, respectively, came from abroad. The countries most represented? Belgium, Germany, Japan, Great Britain, Greece, France, Spain, Switzerland, and USA.
The two editions in 1986 marked a crescendo for the event that reached almost 50 exhibitors per edition and reaffirmed the uniqueness of the exhibition project at the national level. The quality of fabrics and models characterised the Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni event, which continued to grow.
In 1987, the event doubled in size: the October edition saw the number of visitors grow by over 90% compared to the previous year, reaching 4230, with a 90% increase in the number of foreigners as well. In the meantime, the event continued to remain as a privileged trend setter, attracting operators and press from all over the world.
In 1988, Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni got a makeover: a new layout, with very elegant modular stands, and a new logo, for a project that confirmed its importance in the fashion scene. But it was in 1989 that the biggest surprise was in store: by popular vote - thanks to an opinion poll among exhibitors held in 1988 - the event changed and would be held only once a year.
Thus, in October 1989, the first annual edition was held. The fifty exhibitors attracted a growing number of national and international visitors and, for the first time, showcased their collections on the Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni catwalk. In fact, the collective fashion show was born that year: a unique opportunity for exhibitors to introduce themselves to the sector’s operators with a sumptuous and unique show. The event grew further and started to take the connotations of how we know it today.
Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni reached the 1990s more and more beautiful and varied. In October '90, more than 6,000 visitors joined the event. The stands become richer and more dynamic, with the possibility of hosting fashion shows and dynamic presentations.
In 1991, the event was held in conjunction with another trade fair event “La Moda a Milano”. There were 63 exhibitors and 6200 visitors. These were years full of opportunities for the formal wear market, as statistics show: at that time it was estimated that 6 million women received wedding invitations every year. The wedding day business was estimated at around 1,500 billion Italian liras. In that year, 250,000 wedding dresses were sold for a total of LIT 750 billion.
The association with Moda a Milano continued throughout the 1990s, while Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni added novelty products and initiatives. Exhibitions of significant interest started to take place within the event. Thus, in 1994, the exhibition titled “Weddings at Court - Queen Brides” was created to celebrate the most impressive weddings in royal houses. In those years, the event expanded and found new and interesting partnerships: in 1996, in collaboration with Milan's La Scala Theatre, Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni hosted the exhibition Le Nozze della Lirica (The Wedding of the Opera), which gave space to the most sumptuous weddings narrated by Opera.
Meanwhile, to follow the evolution of the market, the event with Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni changed date again. In the new millennium it started to be held at the end of June, without simultaneity running with other fashion events, to best meet buyers from all over the world on dates favourable to the international calendar.
In the meantime, major partnerships continued to enrich the event with exhibitions and initiatives. In 2005, in collaboration with Mattel, the event hosted an exhibition dedicated to the Barbie doll, in the spotlight with several mini-models of wedding dresses made by major brands.
Again a doll dressed as a bride, this time Unicef's Pigotta, was the star of the 2007 edition, with a charity event that focused on the creativity embodied by the many versions of the famous rag doll.
But Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni did not forget its fashion soul with many initiatives involving established designers and creative individuals. Last up in chronological order was Francesco Scogliamiglio, who presented his Icons exhibition in 2019, with many interesting novelties.
In the second decade of the 2000s, the event in step with the times seized the excellent moment in the world of wedding and formal wear and increasingly expanded to include new international brandsoffering top-quality collections, which immediately identified Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni as an essential stage for their dissemination in the European markets.
And the event moved from June to April to meet market requirements and new production and distribution times. New subdivisions emphasised the peculiarities of Made in Italy craftsmanship and the various international offerings. Fashion shows multiplied to give visibility to all the brands on show.
Years went by and the event stimulated the curiosity even for the uninitiated. It was clear to everyone that Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni was a phenomenon that needed to be enhanced beyond the walls of the trade fair. This is how the events in the city were born, at first shared with big brands and publishers in the sector, then gradually becoming more independent and unique.
From the many exclusive locations in Milan, it was decided that Milan, the whole city, would become the main location. Bride in the City was born, an event that put the wedding dress front and centre and created a link with the beauty of the metropolis: in 2022, a bus took a dozen models dressed in Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni dresses to key locations around the city. It was the consecration for the event, which was discovered and loved even by those outside the industry.
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