The biannual men’s fashion fair Pitti Uomo is experiencing a successful revival this week: with more exhibitors, more visitors and an expanded program for the 102nd edition. Ann Demeulemeester presented favorite looks from thirty years of archives and Grace Wales Bonner presented her collection at the Palazzo Medici Riccardi.
In the last two seasons, the Pitti Uomo has taken place as usual, albeit in a weaker form. With a slimmed down program, significantly fewer exhibitors than before the pandemic and with almost exclusively European visitors. There’s also something dreary about Florence, especially in winter: empty, quiet streets that are easy to stroll along at normal times. This week the city and its hustle and bustle seemed to be alive again. The tourists are back, and everything seems to be the same at the Fortezza da Basso exhibition center.
The official visitor numbers will be announced by the organizer Pitti Immagine in the course of the week. But they are definitely higher than in January, when Pitti counted 548 exhibitors and around 8,000 trade visitors. On Thursday afternoon, the number of visitors was already 9,000, the organizers announced on Thursday evening.
This time over 700 exhibitors are present, still fewer than the last “normal” edition, but still a step forward. The North Americans are back, the Japanese – who used to be en masse – are too, albeit sporadically. Of the important fashion countries, only China still keeps its borders tightly closed. And Russia is also on the decline.
Ukrainian fashion in focus
Pitti Immagine presented the Ukrainian fashion sector with the project ‘Ukrainian Fashion Now!’ a selection of eleven must-know designers from Ukraine: Bobkova, Gudu, Gunia Project, Guzema, Katerina Kvit, Litkovskaya, Manufacture De Lin, Oberig, Poustovit, Viktor Anisimov, and Yulia Yefimtchuk.
At the stands, the talk was more about war than about fashion. “Kyiv has become a bit safer again,” said Olga Basovska, Gudu’s fire manager. “There’s still an average of one bomb a week, but Kyiv is big, so you take that risk. The sirens are going off all the time, but many residents: inside have returned, many shops have reopened. We’re trying to get on with our lives and work.”
“Everything has become more difficult, but we can continue to produce,” says porcelain specialist Gunia Project. “And we can also deliver internationally.”
Traveling is not a matter of course. There are no flights to or from Kyiv. Most of the designers had planned a multi-day trip through Poland. “I say to everyone: if it’s not necessary, it’s better not to travel,” said Lilia Litkovskaya, who lives in Paris with her daughter and mother and travels to Ukraine about twice a month. “It’s just too exhausting .”
Wales Bonner in a palazzo
Pitti traditionally organizes a series of shows and presentations outside the exhibition grounds. Before the pandemic, Pitti had evolved into something of a mini fashion week, each featuring different designers, usually an interesting mix of established names and emerging talent. This week the tradition was revived.
The most important runway show in Florence was that of Wales Bonner, the label of London-based designer Grace Wales Bonner. The choice fell on the open courtyard of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, an impressive 485-year-old Renaissance palace that had never before been used for a fashion event. Wales Bonner did the research for her collection. Alessandro de Medici, who was ruler of Florence until 1537, had a black mother. According to some sources, she was a maid who had a relationship with Duke Lorenzo, Alessandro’s official father, or perhaps with Pope Clement VII. At a press conference, Wales Bonner said she wanted to address the presence of a Black person in the Renaissance period. She also worked with artisans from Ghana and Burkina Faso. Artist Ibrahim Mahama has created a huge patchwork of hand-sewn jute sacks used to transport cocoa from Ghana. She also worked with a tailor from Saville Row, Adidas and Charvet in Paris. Artwork by Kerry James Marshall featured as a print on the opening look.
Second attempt for Ann Demeulemeester
The ‘big name’ of this Pitti edition was Ann Demeulemeester. She had already been announced as a guest of honor in January. However, their event was canceled at the last minute after the Corona situation in Europe worsened again. Things went better for the Belgian designer the second time around. In the Stazione Leopolda, the former train station that is often used for shows – Chanel only landed there last week – she set up 47 mannequins dressed in archive pieces.
“I just went with my feelings,” Demeulemeester said at a preview. “We have a huge archive. I’ve always kept a lot. I set aside at least ten ensembles from each collection. Over the years, it’s become a massive collection It’s now kept in Milan. I’ve always thought, if one day I want to quit or get too old to design, then in a way these pieces are the future of the brand. If you see all these original clothes together, you’ll understand mine Work. Talented designers can take that and make their own way with it.”
The placement of the pieces at Stazione Leopolda dates back to 1992. “With the first silhouette from my first show,” according to the designer. The look, with a gray feather top, was worn by model Kirsten Owen in Paris at the time. Her pants were not quite Owen was pregnant, which no one knew.
“The rest followed automatically. I worked very intuitively: I want this and that and that. I had brought about ten extra looks with me in case something went wrong. But I didn’t need them. I didn’t want to proclaim big theories. I thought: If I can bring the past and the future into a line, on one stage, and if the clothes all tell a story together, form a whole – if it doesn’t crack and burn – then I’ll be very happy.”
Demeulemeester no longer designs clothes. She announced her departure in 2013. Her successor is Sébastien Meunier. In 2022 the company was taken over by the Italian fashion entrepreneur Claudio Antonioli and the atelier moved to Milan, where the collections are designed by an in-house team. Demeulemeester, who had steered clear of fashion since 2013, suddenly seemed reconnected with her brand.
Her function within the ‘new’ Ann Demeulemeester isn’t really defined, but she’s involved in particular projects, like a perfume or the event in Florence, which by focusing on Demeulemeester’s legacy aims to strengthen the brand for the future . In the meantime, she continues her line of tableware and furniture in collaboration with the Belgian company Serax.
Over time, Antonioli may wish to name an official successor to Ann Demeulemeester. But until then it will remain a team effort. “I let the designers in Milan do their thing,” she said. “I don’t interfere.” She said she saw their clothes as children. “They are grown up now, they can fly on their own wings. I can’t intervene now because that would mean starting all over again and I’ve decided not to do that. I’ve always evolved. I keep evolving. I’m now working in other areas. You can’t do everything. I decided to quit fashion to give myself a chance to do something different.
Superstars and Newcomers
As well as Wales Bonner and Demeulemeester, Pitti also gave a free hand to Scandinavian label Soulland, the label of a former Rick Owens collaborator, with a beautiful show in a modern marble amphitheater.
A superstar has been brought in here and there in Florence: streetwear label Mauna-Kea introduced a capsule collection featuring NBA champion Jaren Jackson Jr. Shoemaker Superga threw a party in honor of brand ambassador Emily Ratajkowski. And then there was the recently discredited photographer Bruce Weber, who shot a commercial for Roy Rogers. The oldest Italian denim brand still a family business celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. The biggest fashion theme in Florence continued to be sustainability, with many mainstream labels in attendance such as Ecoalf and Save The Duck, once again causing a stir and paying close attention to responsible fashion. In the ‘S/Style – sustainable Style’ section, some interesting young sustainable labels were again represented, including Philip Huang, who is mainly based in Thailand, and the Parisian label Mworks.
This translated and edited post previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl.