Italy’s menswear industry is recovering from the slump in sales during the pandemic. With coronavirus restrictions eased and sales soaring, fashion brands are trying to redefine what men will wear when they return to the office and on vacation.
You realize that men are serious about fashion when they continue to sweat in their tailor-made suits at temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius. Last week more fashion-conscious gentlemen came together again at Pitti Uomo in Florence to determine the trends for the coming seasons and what will be in stores. With 11,000 visitors, the men’s fashion fair had the best season since the outbreak of the pandemic, according to preliminary estimates. Only 8,000 visitors were counted in January as travel restrictions and lockdowns slowed business.
“The menswear market is bouncing back”
“The menswear market is picking up again,” said Antonio Ricciardi during an interview in Florence on Thursday. He is the sales director of Cocama Srl, the company that holds the license for Italian fashion brand Liu Jo’s menswear line. The brand started doing so in 2020 to wholesale her men’s collection and hopes to double her menswear sales from €46 million in 2021 to €100 million in 2025.
“In our retail I see a need for men to dress and get back into fashion,” said Ricciardi. “Men have to interpret the new ‘contemporary formal’ at this moment.” At Pitti, Liu Jo presents styles that combine denim – a key part of the collection – with formal garments. Like a denim jacket with chino pants, for example.
Denim is a growing menswear category this year. Italian retailers, ranging from mass to luxury fashion, have expanded their denim offerings by 42 percent in the three months ended June 21 compared to the same period in 2020, data from retail research firm Edited shows.
Comeback of the suit
The optimistic mood on the market was reinforced by the brand Antony Morato from near Naples. “2021 was a good year for us, we were up 21 percent from 2020, but 2022 is doing even better,” Chief Executive Officer Lello Cardarelli said via email. In the first quarter, the brand grew sales by 22.3 percent Percent to 23.6 million euros.”We will do even better these months and we have the forecast to finish this year with 80 million euros,” he added.
For the first part of the year, the strongest trend for the company was “formal fashion,” Cardarelli said. The founder of Antony Morato assumes that this will continue in the course of the year, as customers start to attend events and public occasions again. “Suits will definitely be the best seller in 2022,” he expects.
The demand for suits has fluctuated in recent years. In early 2020, before the spread of the coronavirus, the suits and tailored suits categories were rampant among Italian retailers, according to Edited market analyst Krista Corrigan via email. A year later, online new arrivals fell 37 percent as brands scaled back amid lockdowns and canceled events. However, the category rebounded in 2022 with a 91 percent increase in sell-through rates for suits and blazers compared to 2020.
comfort and convenience
While the comeback of the suit signals a need to dress up again, men don’t want to sacrifice comfort. “Things are going to be a little more classic again, but it’s still going to be casual, with more woven fabrics and it’s going to be a little more dressed up,” said Katie Liu, partner at New York-based multi-brand menswear showroom Black Dog, at a panel discussion at Pitti Uomo .
Even in the Italian market, traditionally known for its smart clothing styles, men have been forced to resort to loungewear and comfortable clothing during lockdown, Corrigan said. And the trend towards comfortable clothing is still unbroken.
Hoodies and sweatpants continue to see double-digit growth, data from Edited shows. In the three months to June 21, Italian retailers’ ranges for hoodies have increased by 43 percent compared to 2020, and sweatpants by 77 percent.
Men demand more comfort, said Jacopo Ferranti, communications manager at Tombolini Fashion Group. Currently, customers prefer items from the company’s running line to the classic suits; they prefer stretchy, comfortable and easy-care fabrics. Tombolini launches its new Zero Gravity suit at Pitti Uomo – a blazer and trousers set with a relaxed fit that can be washed in the washing machine.
Green and durable
“The company must respond flexibly and quickly to customers’ changing needs every day,” explained Ferranti at the show last week. Tombolini is also responding to the trend towards sustainable fashion by launching jackets made from recycled polyester and hemp that looks like leather.
“Today, people are very cautious when it comes to buying good and well-made products, and they will end up spending more,” said Rafaello Napoleone, managing director of exhibition organizer Pitti Imagine Srl, in an interview on Friday.
The booming resale market – also a reflection of more conscious shopping behavior – is one of the factors behind the demand for high quality items that can be resold.
“The upmarket segment of the market is developing well. The middle market is doing well, but not as successful as the top market,” Napoleone said of the current Italian menswear market.
Holiday fashion on the rise
Another emerging category in menswear is beachwear and swimwear. In the past, they were of secondary importance to buyers, but that’s gone now, says Katie Liu. With people catching up on vacations, retailers should also consider related fashion items like a blazer for post-beach dinner.
As the travel bug awakens, Italian retailers’ swimwear supply is up 17 percent compared to 2020 and sales are up 72 percent, Edited data shows for the three months ended June 21. With holidays canceled during the pandemic, the 2021 category fell 7 percent year-on-year.
“It’s starting off pretty well now,” said Pierfrancesco Virlinzi, founder of swimwear brand Piersicilia. “People want to go to the beach, they want to travel.” He expects business to grow again, especially in stores, as the season starts earlier this year, according to his retailers. People flock to the luxury hotels and resorts from the French Riviera to the Greek islands, which are among the Sicilian menswear brand’s main outlets. And Virlinzi hopes to double sales of the brand founded in 2019 this year.
