Visions of Pitti

«Given the times, I would like to call it a magical edition of Pitti Uomo, because we have managed to create a mix of extraordinary promotional initiatives and presentations, as well as events involving the entire city with increasing attention to lifestyle». Raffaello Napoleone, ceo of Pitti Immagine, used this adjective to describe the 102nd edition of the Florentine fair, which opens its doors today until Friday with a total of 671 brands —including 40% international ones and 100 new entries— ready to present their new products for SS 2023.

This is a significant increase compared to the 338 ones in June 2021 and the 540 ones in January 2022, proving that the engine is back on track at a good pace. «This rewards the efforts made over the past few years, during which we organized nonprofit editions but did not back down because of a purely economic vision. We wanted to send the message that we are a point of reference for companies, a sort of island, as stated in the theme of this edition, somewhere to pass by, refuel, stock up on provisions and then restart», Raffaello Napoleone added.

That is why the mood, at the start of the event, is «positive, depending on what companies are telling us and on the excellent employment figures from the Florentine hotel system. In addition, many menswear fairs have been absent in recent months in Europe, and people are keen to move and come to Florence to see what direction fashion is going in». Therefore, 15,000 operators are expected compared to 10,000 in January —even though there is still the significant absence of Asian buyers as well as that of a large portion of Russians— despite an economic scenario that is still full of uncertainties.

«The first half of 2022 was marked by a great turmoil that put stress on the sector» Napoleone explained. «One of the destabilizing elements has been the evolution of the pandemic which, while not having the impacts of previous upsurges, has not yet been totally overcome especially in China, where retail sales in March dropped by 13%. The logistics and energy crisis continues, already with a significant impact on the second quarter of 2021, leading to considerable volatility in terms of sample and order costs. Then there is the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Until March, all Italian exports grew at high rates. Those to Russia, where fashion accounts for 18% of total exports to the country, plummeted instead by 50%, with an impact that will persist in the next quarter as well. For some sectors, such as footwear for example, the impact is truly significant. All this has as negative consequences on consumer confidence, which dropped between March and April».

So, even though in the first two months of the year fashion retail consumption progressed by 25% for the fashion sector, it will be essential to govern this situation of uncertainty. In terms of exports, however, the future in the short term will be oriented toward Europe and the US.

«The States are vibrant and effervescent, their department stores are full and big brand stores often have lines outside with many people waiting» Napoleone continued. «Covid-19 is a little less scary and the Ukraine-Russia issue is far away from them. Japan is also performing good, starting to move again after two years of stop, if you think that in 2021 men's fashion lost 6.6%».

In the meantime, the showcase is getting ready to unleash its aces. Starting tonight, when guest designer Grace Wales Bonner will walk the runway with the SS 2022 collection of the eponymous brand Wales Bonner (see interview on page XVIII), while tomorrow it will be the turn of Ann Demeulemeester, the showcase's guest of honor (see article on page XVI), who will curate at Stazione Leopolda the special project dedicated to her and the brand she founded, now back under the new direction of Claudio Antonioli.

Among the special projects there are Soulland, a Copenhagen-based brand led by Silas Oda Adler, who will tell the story of the world of Scandinavian craftsmanship and its responsible approach in a défilé-event scheduled for tomorrow, and Sapio, a brand created by Giulio Sapio, who used to work in Rick Owens’ style office, starring in a presentation at Spazio Discovery dedicated to suits, with selected technical and unisex pieces. Roy Roger's will then celebrate its 70th anniversary with a short movie made by Bruce Weber, while in the monumental area WP Lavori in Corso will celebrate 40 years since its birth.

Pierre-Louis Mascia will launch a sports capsule collection in partnership with Diadora, while the North Sails x Maserati collection will also debut. Bagutta will host a breakfast on the terrace of Pitti's headquarters in Via Faenza to talk about the new stylistic path, while among schools, Istituto Marangoni Firenze will present student projects with an event at the Marini Museum tomorrow evening. Emily Ratajkowski will be the guest of honor at Superga's special event, on stage tonight in the Loggia of Piazzale Michelangelo. Finally, Gucci will celebrate its new café & cocktail bar Giardino 25 in Piazza della Signoria. «I am happy to point out that there will be even more initiatives compared to past good years» Napoleone finally concluded. (All rights reserved)