The British brand Superdry chose the Florentine Messe Pitti Uomo as a stage to present its spring/summer 2026 collection. The label, founded in 2003, returned to the Tuscan capital to write the next chapter in its history, combine the quality, preppy style, sustainability, English tailor tradition as well as the love of nature, coast and rural regions. The exhibition stand in the Fortezza da Basso resembled a Hamptons cottage, in which elegance and nonchalance were connected to an inviting and tasteful atmosphere. Fashionunited met Julian Dunkerton, the company’s founder and CEO, to talk about the new strategy, corporate goals and the trends of the new collection.
They return to Pitti Uomo in 2025 after six years of absence: Why did you choose Italy and this trade fair to present the spring/summer 2026 collection?
The Pitti Uomo is the most internationally renowned trade fair for men’s fashion and thus the ideal place to reintroduce our new collections here after six years of absence. In addition, it is a return to our roots for us, as we debut Superdry here 22 years ago. We have planned meetings with some of the most prominent department stores in Italy and Europe to secure the presence of our brand in big cities and tourism destinations. We also plan to open a business in a central shopping street in Amsterdam, since Europe is still an enormously important market for us.
With a clearly British approach of the tailor, a color palette made of washed-out tones and a more relaxed fit, which is applied to classic silhouettes, present the FS26 collection. Who is the target group for this?
We have launched SD Co. by Superdry: a refined and ambitious men’s collection that reinterprets tradition and redefined iconic styles with a significantly British approach and a characteristic superdry sensitivity. Our offer includes a wide range of washed -out tones and tailored cuts. The relaxed fit of the classic silhouettes makes these clothing from the men’s fashion collection easy to wear. The Oxford shirt is reinterpreted in soft cotton and bright pastel colors.
Each garment is provided with the new, embroidered SD Co.-logo, which symbolizes the British roots of the brand and the continuous commitment to the art of craftsmanship. The rugby shirt line has been expanded and decorated with striped inserts and refined details, while the polo shirts were reissued in a variety of premium fabrics. Light jackets for the warmer months like the field jacket inspired by the military give the structure and versatility collection.
What strategy was implemented in relation to social media to get in touch with existing and potential customers: inside?
With our social media strategy, we want to call our existing customers on the one hand: inside that are typically in the 30s and 40s, and on the other hand, and on the other hand, younger target groups aged 16 and over. Of course, we are present for the Gen-Z consum on Tikok: inside and on Instagram for a mature audience. We have about 800,000 followers on Tiktok: inside and thousands of daily views. The communication style of our brand is tailored to the preferences of all target groups.
In our videos, styling suggestions and campaign pictures we show timeless, sustainable and high-quality clothing, including tailored coats and T-shirts made of organic cotton. The latter have always been our flagship products for more classical consumers: inside. For younger customers: Inside, the style tends to the preppy and vintage aesthetics, which is in great demand for this generation and is a stylistic trademark from Superdry. Social media also drives our e-commerce platform, which is an important sales channel for us.
The brand was founded 22 years ago, 2003: What has changed stylistically and what has remained of the Superdry DNA?
The focus on quality, organic cotton, fabrics and tailoring remains. In the new collection of SD Co. by Superdry, all of these aspects are brought to life through washes, nuanced colors, stripes, polo shirts with white collar as well as the relaxed, comfortable fit of the pastel -colored shirts. Each look of the collection presented on the Pitti Uomo stands for the experience and craftsmanship from the legacy of our brand, combined with creativity and contemporary design of a brand that is deeply rooted in its origins and is still able to stay up to date and demanding consumer: inside and younger: inside the stylish preppy parts with vintage feeling at a competitive price seek.
The company was taken from the stock exchange about a year ago. What options has this step opened to you and how is the business currently running?
The decoration made it possible for me to take over the daily corporate management again, to regain control and to concentrate on the product and the brand orientation. So we make sure that we bring a fashion offer adapted to the current one: internal needs. In addition, we have reconsidered our Wholesale sales strategy and primarily focused on the presence in multi-brown stores in Europe and in large department stores. In financial year 25, sales were around 450 million euros. The reactions to our new collections here on the Pitti were incredible and I look very positive at the coming year.
Superdry has always been committed to sustainability: 65 percent of the garments are made from organic or recycled materials and 70 percent of supplier factories use renewable energies. What next steps are planned in this regard?
Sustainability has always managed our decisions and changed Superdry significantly. Today we focus more than ever on our way to sustainability. We ensure that we act consciously and have a brand that we can be proud of.