Olivia Palermo joins the Italian sales agency at Boom Boom Room

The Italian Commercial Agency took New York by storm Wednesday evening hosting Always Be Extra, a showcase highlighting more than 40 Italian fashion and accessories brands with a high-voltage fashion show at the Standard’s Boom Boom Room Hotel, High Line.

The event, which attracted Olivia Palermo and others, also served to promote the Italian government’s exclusive online platform, Extra ITA Style, a site for retailers that features more than 70 brands and 3,800 Italian products in a wide range of categories, including men and women. clothing, shoes, jewelry, leather accessories and more.

“The Extra ITA Style platform is a great example of ITA’s innovative approach to supporting top Italian design talent to grow their businesses in the US market,” said Erica Di Giovancarlo, Italian Trade Commissioner. “And our ‘Always Be Extra’ presentation and model party connects the world of digital discovery with invaluable real-world exposure for our brands among America’s biggest fashion enthusiasts.”

The Italian government promotes Made in Italy products as a way to increase the country’s share of international trade. The American market, which constitutes the largest non-European market for Italian fashion, is particularly important for fashion manufacturers, who constitute the third Italian manufacturing sector after mechanics and automobiles, with almost 46,000 companies and almost 400,000 employees.

In the first four months of this year, U.S. imports of Italian fashion and accessories totaled $3.88 billion.

Brands showcased during the fashion show at the Boom Boom Room included De Santis by Martin Alvarez, Artico, Tenne, Fugato, Salvatore Martorana and Martin Zelo.

Next up at ITA will be the Chicago Collective men’s show, where 62 menswear brands will be on display in early August, followed by the Coterie show in New York in September, where more than 70 Italian women’s brands will show.