Pitti's challenge

«From June 14 to June 17, we return to the traditional four-day formula,» satisfied ceo Raffaello Napoleone pointed out, presenting the 102nd edition of Pitti immagine uomo at the Feltrinelli foundation. The menswear show is separated from Pitti bimbo. At the moment, it already registers 640 brand sign-ups for this Pitti uomo 102nd edition, which are expected to increase. There were 540 brands in January 2022 at Pitti Uomo 101 and 338 brands in Fortezza in June 2021 for Pitti Uomo 100, plus 57 brands were online only, making a total of 395 brands.

«In the first quarter of 2022, we were well out of the pandemic, exceeding 2019 levels. Despite the turbulence, I expect 2022 to continue in a positive way,» Claudio Marenzi, president of Pitti immagine, explained. «China and its lockdowns, first in Shanghai and now in Beijing, are of more concern. That is an area where big brands suffer the most, while the companies present at Pitti perhaps feel the impact less». As Istat data indicate, processed by the Confindustria moda study center and Sistema moda Italia (SMI), exports for the entire year increased by 13.4%, totalling about 7.2 billion euros, while imports grew by 8.2% to 4.9 billion euros. «Estimating a slowdown in the second half of the year due to the war in Ukraine seems more delicate,» Claudio Marenzi continued. The market in the Russian area is worth 3-4% of global sales, but it has a strong impact on energy costs and raw material procurement. «Yet we are still here,» he joked, quoting a lyric by the Italian singer Vasco Rossi.

«The theme chosen for this edition is Pitti_Island, an island where you cannot help but stop and refuel,» the general manager, Agostino Poletto, stated. «The new collections will be exhibited in five macro areas: Fantastic Classic, Futuro Maschile, Dynamic Attitude, Superstyling and S|style sustainable style, on responsible menswear,» Antonio Cristaudo explained. «Before Covid-19 we had 20,000 buyers. At the last editions we had about 6,000 buyers and 10,000 visitors. We are aiming to reach 15,000 of them, also thanks to the support of Italian trade agency (ITA) and the Ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation (MAECI), Raffaello Napoleone stated, recalling that they can already count on the attendance of important buyers from all over the world. The retailers who have already confirmed their attendance, «because those who do this work seriously must come at Pitti,» as Napoleone concluded, include Al Tayer from Dubai, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks and Bloomingdale's from the US, Beymen from Turkey, Harvey Nichols from the UK and Kuwait, Holt Renfrew and Ssense from Canada, Takashimaya from Japan, and Code 7 and Tsum from Russia. The latter two will be able to participate in compliance with the sanctions imposed by the Italian government, as Pitti's management explained, meaning that they can participate at their own expense but will not receive hospitality.

Unicredit —the kermesse's main partner— continues its support, focusing on sustainability. «We are studying projects to optimize energy use in this scenario affected by the conflict,» Livio Stellati, of the large banking group, explained. «Ukraine, which had already participated in 2014, will be the special guest nation. The selection will be curated by Polina Voloshyna, historical friend of Pitti,» Francesca Tacconi, special events coordinator of Pitti Immagine, stated. This gives a concrete signal of how the Florentine event is lowered in the present. As for expectations for the next six months, Marenzi explained that «the US is experiencing a boom, as well as Emirates and Turkey. China, with its zero-Covid-19 policy, remains a mystery. However, I still am optimistic and believe that if there were no humanitarian emergency, we could think of this moment as a challenge». (All rights reserved)