The most-anticipated and leading international fashion tradeshow for menswear and contemporary lifestyle, Pitti Immagine Uomo is back again with its 94th edition.
Scheduled to take place from 12 to 15 June 2018 in Florence, Italy, the tradeshow serves as a space focussing on research into menswear and boosting the forward-looking edge of fashion through its various sections. The always-evolving fashion event is ready to anticipate and represent the latest fashion movements via a vast range of projects. This edition boasts 1,240 brands, 561 of which hail from abroad (45%).
Changing times call for changing outlooks and Pitti Uomo has always been one to set standards. This year, the fair is set to be more of a lifestyle-oriented tradeshow than a regular business event for participating brands and buyers.
Through the many years since its conceptualisation, the event has garnered a lot of interest owing to its combination of important runway shows, a plethora of high-quality specially-designed events that reflect the theme of the season, and the constant renovation of its spaces. The organisers do their best to upgrade the event each season by making it more relevant to the industry by introducing new developments and services.
“We have gradually abandoned the traditional use of the trade fair as a space in which to present collections. Pitti isn’t exactly a trade fair anymore, nor is it a Fashion Week, it’s something new, where things happen,” explained Agostino Poletto, Pitti Immagine’s Managing Director.
The theme for this year is P.O.P. PITTI OPTICAL POWER which revolves around the concept of optical illusions. It is suggestive of a visual and virtual spectacle that elicits new horizons of perception and perspectives on reality.
A new space spread across 500 square metres that doubles as a bar and lounge, aims to “make the Pitti experience a bit different” by also hosting conferences apart from the regular exhibits and showcases, in the same area. Dubbed as the “P.O.P. Arena” the space is designed in a “hypnotic” style by designer Sergio Colantuoni, in line with this season’s theme. Decorated in optical technicolour, the space will make the Pitti experience even more enjoyable for exhibitors and visitors alike.
This year boasts of feats such as the Robert Cavalli show slated to take place on June 13 in a monastery, the Craig Green show, scheduled for June 14, Fumito Ganryu’s for June 13 and the debut of H&M-owned Cos, which will launch a capsule collection of perennial items called “Soma”.
Gruppo Roberto Cavalli has opted for Pitti Uomo to showcase the worldwide launch of its new men’s fashion project, with a special event reflecting the brand’s distinctive style and its new initiative.
Throughout its history, Pitti Uomo has been known to consistently juxtapose small but sought-after labels with mainstream brands. Apart from being an avid supporter of Scandinavian and Georgian talent, the fair will also present a new wave of talent from Northern Europe.
Called Scandinavian Manifesto, the showcase comprises of a unique selection of 15 collections by emerging fashion designers and the biggest names from Denmark, Sweden and Norway. In collaboration with Revolver Copenhagen,this section is a project that intertwines art, fashion and design forged with Nordic taste and atmospheres in Arena Strozzi.
“The event has become a platform where brands present their collections, launch projects, and engage in promotional and marketing activities through their events,” continued Agostino Poletto. This is reflected with the launches of Zegna’s beachwear, Iceberg’s new Ice Play line and the collections designed for Rossignol by Damir Doma, and for Paul & Shark by Nick Wooster, while Moncler is also set to present the first instalment in its Genius project with a collection designed by Hiroshi Fujiwara.
Another addition to the event schedule is the the “I Go Out” project, brings together twenty brands and Italian wool mill Reda, with its line of performance fabrics called Reda Activ, in a forest-inspired space designed by the Andrea Caputo Studio. The outdoor oriented project will provide transversal solutions for the outdoor industry, where the said merchandise will be considered from more of a fashion perspective than a sportswear one.
Also, the “Make” space which was founded in 2016 to address the “New Makers”, i.e. the new generation of craftsmen and women reinterpreting tradition through new technologies, will recreat art gallery scenes curated by the designer Angelo Figus, which will highlight 25 selected brands.
“The idea is to diversify the formats to make the trade show more dynamic,” says Agostino Poletto, further adding, “the event will also be offering “Editorials”, small spaces or installations where visitors can discover a selection of objects and accessories dedicated to contemporary men’s fashion through different themes, such as pets or writing.”
The “Athlovers” project, launched last season returns this June. The initiative which invited five avant-garde brands to interpret the athleisure trend, will expanded to include other labels and will be integrated in the underground luxury fashion section called “Unconventional”, where it will have its own dedicated space. UNCONVENTIONAL presents luxury underground styles in the Archivi via exclusive collections with personality for a hyper-contemporary gender-neutral wardrobe.
Other spaces include the Futoro Maschile, a Concept Lab on Contemporary Menswear, the I PLAY section showcasing new age sportswear, the TOUCH! Section which showcases an eclectic wardrobe, the L’ Altro Uomo, representing avant-garde styles, My Factory which will exhibit urban styles from the youth culture, Urban Panorama which voices the brash style of the metropolis, among a few others…
Following the same, pop-up stores will continue to be an active part of the event, offering collections from small accessory labels and allowing the exhibition space to alternate between large stands and smaller spaces.
For the first time, however, the fair is abandoning its “Who is On Next? Homme” competition for young and emerging designers. Even its “Pitti Italics” section, dedicated to emerging brands made in Italy, has been excluded from the schedule this season giving way to more innovative formats which could transform the event into more of a support program.
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