Pitti Uomo launches its 106th edition under the banner of optimism

The sun is shining at the Fortezza Da Basso, which is welcoming this years Pitti Uomo edition. As soon as the show opened at 10am, a lively crowd gathered around the large forecourt in front of the central pavilion, moving from one stand to the next between happy reunions and business meetings. With a quarter of the Fortress still under construction and therefore inaccessible, the organisers of the famous men’s fashion show, which is being held in Florence until June 14, have had to be particularly selective, and promise a high-quality summer edition.
   

In particular, they are hoping to capitalise on an influx of buyers, who this season will not be going to Paris because of the costs and logistical problems caused by preparations for the Olympic Games. In any case, on the brand side, the show was a sell-out, filling every available space with 790 exhibitors, 43% of them from abroad, compared with 832 in January and 825 in June 2023. The theme of this 106th edition of Pitti Lemon was effervescent and “lemony”, to create a sunny, vitamin-packed atmosphere.
 
The site is therefore dressed in bright golden yellow and dotted with eye-catching features, such as a florist selling only yellow daffodils, mimosas, hyacinths, narcissi and tulips, display stands filled with ochre postcards, and a straw-coloured telephone booth where more than one visitor has stopped to have their photo taken. As always, the exhibitors have pulled out all the stops, with gleaming, attractive stands featuring large green plants and original fittings. Outside, above all, it was already holiday time, with stands equipped with parasols and deckchairs. The informal clothing brand Sun68 has even installed a swimming pool!

But the atmosphere is deceptively carefree. With a marked slowdown at the start of the year, rising prices for raw materials and transport, geopolitical tensions and falling consumer confidence, Pitti Uomo is a crucial stage at the start of the season for understanding where the market is heading. “2024 will be a turning point. The market is changing decisively,” declared Sergio Tamborini, President of Sistema Moda Italia (SMI), the employers’ confederation that brings together all the textile and clothing companies in Italy, during the opening ceremony. 
 
He noted that the fashion market is increasingly divided between extreme luxury and fast fashion, depriving the middle class of more affordable quality products.  “In this context, Italian companies have a card to play, and Pitti Uomo is an important showcase. Admittedly, there will be a difficult period, but the opportunities are huge,” he believes. “We have to start again with the product,” stresses Antonio De Matteis, president of Pitti Immagine, the company that manages the Florentine shows. “We’re expecting a large number of Asian and American buyers in Florence,” he says, betting on “a very big Pitti.”
 

Dario Nardella, the outgoing mayor of Florence, who has just been elected as an MEP on the Democratic Party list, described the 106th edition of Pitti Uomo as “an edition of relaunch and challenge,” and put forward the idea of organising an annual meeting in Florence on the fringes of the show with the major players in European fashion to define an agenda of priorities for the sector.
 
At the opening of the show, Pitti Uomo awarded a career prize to buyer Hirofumi Kurino, co-founder of Japanese retailer United Arrows, and its Pitti 2024 Award to Spanish entrepreneur Javier Goyeneche, head of eco-sustainable brand Ecoalf.