Uomo Pitti fashion fair leads menswear trend from Florence
What's the next big thing in menswear? Leading industry players descendedon Florence last week to find out, writes Jing Zhang
J.W. Anderson's absurdist skirts and frilly shorts for men at London Collections: Men might have had mouths gaping, but in Florence, at the Pitti Uomo trade fair, from January 8-11, menswear was more refined and traditional.
"Our company launched modern Italian fashion from Florence in 1951. The first show of Italian fashion was organised with six or seven Italian tailors and couturiers in the private house of an Italian marquese," says Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine, the fair's organiser.
"He [the marquese] invited six American buyers … They were astonished by what they saw, reopened their buying budgets and the next time - that September - 300 buyers showed up."
Held in Florence every January and June, Pitti Uomo has become an important precursor to weeks of men's fashion - and a hunting ground for trend forecasters. Renaissance fort Fortezza da Basso is home to this gathering of some of the most stylish men in the industry.
This year, more than 20,000 fashion buyers come to see some 1,000-plus labels. There are street style gurus in trendy caps, high top trainers and well-cut coats, and hordes of men in eclectic suiting (forget pinstripe or black, it's all about tweed or muted checks) worn with bright pocket squares. And there are beards; lots of trendy beards.
Far from the media circus that surrounds women's fashion weeks, Pitti Uomo is where many brands debut their collections and special projects to press and buyers.