As fashion week approaches, Milan gears up for the highly anticipated menswear events with a series of events, including notable debuts and long-awaited comebacks.
The season kicks off with the Pitti Uomo, which takes place from June 13th to 16th in Florence. For its 104th edition, the theme of the fair is “Pitti Games”, a concept that extends to all Pitti Immagine fairs this season and was developed under the creative direction of Angelo Figus.
In a statement, Agostino Poletto, general director of Pitti Immagine, said that the theme “the climate of optimism” that Pitti wants to convey at its fairs reflects well. Poletto continued: “For this reason we have tried to focus on Pitti fairs like imagining a big gaming table where you can have fun but also use everything by betting on yourself and your strategy, considering your opponents and partners, stepping out of your comfort zone, taking risks, being an individualist or playing in a team.”
As always, there will also be a guest designer at Pitti Uomo, this time it’s Eli Russell Linnetz. The Californian designer and founder of label ERL will present his show at Fortezza da Basso on June 15 under the motto “Make Believe”. Linnetz kept quiet about his plans, but said the show will be about storytelling and the Imagination will turn, noting that he worked with artisans from his hometown of Venice Beach as well as local Italian creatives to prepare the event.
A notable addition to this year’s Pitti Uomo is the ‘I Go Out’ section, dedicated to international brands, which the organization says will ‘become even more diverse’. Among other things, an installation by Swiss designer Sebastiano Tosi will be on display, while i-Mesh a technical and sustainable fabrics The outdoor area at Fortezza da Basso will also be expanded and will show new variations of outdoor activities as well as curated outfits and accessories.
This year’s Pitti will also feature S|Style, the show’s private label platform, which will feature ten international brands selected by journalist Giorgia Cantarini. All participants will present collections using eco-friendly materials, provided by the initiative’s latest partner, Kering’s Material Innovation Lab. In its seventh edition, the exhibition shows sustainable solutions developed by Dhruv Kapoor from India, Jeanne Friot from France, Permu from Great Britain and Young n Sang from South Korea, among others.
Valentino and Neil Barrett return to Milan Fashion Week Men’s
Alongside Pitti, the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) has also unveiled its Spring/Summer 2024 Milan Fashion Week Men’s Fashion Week (MFWM) calendar, with a series of comebacks and debuts framing the event. Immediately following the Pitti Fair, June 16-20, the fashion week features 22 physical catwalks, five digital fashion shows, 30 presentations, four appointment presentations and twelve events.
The event kicks off with a bang as Valentino returns to Milan to present his first standalone menswear show in three years: The Narratives Collection. The Italian fashion house will open the event on June 16 at 12pm, while the fashion show calendar will end on June 19 with a physical event hosted by Zegna. Other well-known fashion houses such as Gucci, Dsquared2, Dolce & Gabbana, JW Anderson and Giorgio Armani are on the program.
Also present for the first time are Andersson Bell, who will make their catwalk debut in Milan, while Mcm, Satchu, Maison Laponte, Marcello Pipitone, Maccapani and Skin of Nature will make their first presentations. Ralph Lauren Purple also returns to the presentation calendar, while Neil Barrett will make his comeback at the runway show.
For this edition, the MFWM will be streamed through a dedicated platform where it will be possible to access virtual showrooms that will remain active even after fashion week has ended. Additional streaming partners Tencent Video and Asahi Shimbun will further increase the reach of the event in China and Japan.
In addition to the MFWM, from June 12th to 19th there will also be the Fashion Film Festival Milano (FFFMilano), which celebrates its ninth edition and is organized in collaboration with the CNMI.
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.uk.