The Pitti Uomo gets the SS26 season rolling. The stage is by no means a light.
The start of the season takes place in a non -simple geopolitical situation, says Antonio de Matteis, President of the trade fair organizer Pitti Immagine. Nevertheless, the situation is not so bad and men’s fashion is “healthy”. He compared the current figures in 2019.
Compared to the pre-corona year, the turnover of Italian men’s fashion from 10.14 billion euros has risen to 11.42 billion euros in 2024, reports de Matteis. However, this declined by 3.6 percent compared to 2023. The production values have grown from 4.68 billion to 4.73 billion euros in 2024. During this period, exports have increased an increase of seven billion to 8.84 billion. The Pitti President also emphasized that you had to work hard to be at the top.
International driver: inner field
For this season, the Florentine men’s fashion fair is strongly in the pedals and attracts the specialist visitors with four large fashion shows. It started on Tuesday the Japanese streetwear label Children of Discordance, in which memories of growing up with Yokohama Old School Hip Hop was linked to DIY influences and tailoring.
In the coming days, Homme Plissé Issey Miyake, Niccolò Pasqualetti and Post Archive Faction will round off the international program of the fair. A total of around 740 brands are represented at the fair and 46 percent of them from abroad.
The focus of the 108th edition is the topic of “Pitti Bikes”. The organizer integrates its “Becycle” format, which was dedicated to cycling and was launched last year to start the Tour de France in Florence. At the Pitti Uomo, the bike and matching looks get their own area in the “I Go Out” outerwear segment
Mixed mood at the start
But even if the efforts are very sporty, the changeable weather, especially in the morning, many visitors: inside the exhibition halls was pushing, the frequency was rather reserved, especially outside. With the return of the sun in the afternoon, the mood also brightened and yet ensured a good start of the trade fair.
The German clothing provider Bugatti was happy about numerous guests at the stand, said a spokeswoman. Also to the sustainably oriented brand Keeling, which converted its stand into a green jungle, “stray” enough visitors: so that Operation Manager Claudio Galluzzo was satisfied.
MWM fire manager Felipe Bolaños de Isla meanwhile misses international guests at the Spanish Streetwear brand. It has already been well established in Italy, now you want to achieve other European markets such as Germany, France and the United Kingdom, which has not yet been succeeded. Nevertheless, he is not dissatisfied with the frequency and hope for a successful second and known stronger day of the fair.
The US brand Robert Talbott would also like to conquer new markets such as Germany or Switzerland, but cannot call itself on contact with new potential: inside, said creative director Sebastian Dollinger. After the Pitti debut in June 2024, the Menswear specialist made it that the “big buyers” automatically get to them.