Pitti Uomo unveils 'film festival' theme for its 93rd edition

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Nov 17, 2017

"We invite you to come to Pitti Uomo, as if it were a big film festival," said Agostino Poletto, managing director of Pitti Immagine, during a presentation on the next edition of the men's tradeshow. The event, dedicated to autumn/winter 2018 collections, looks to be an even more attractive program this season.

For the 93rd edition, which takes place in Florence from January 9 to 12, the organisers have chosen the cinema as leitmotif. Under the creative direction of Sergio Colantuoni, each of the 14 trade show sections will take the theme of a film genre, such as action or film noir.  Film will be the guiding theme of all Pitti Immagine events as well as for Pitti Uomo's promotional material and a short film by Senio Zapruder.

Teaser cards for the event from the past few weeks gave a sneak peak at what the trade show has in store: Brooks Brothers' 200th birthday show event; guests of honour Jun Takahashi from Undercover and Takahiro Miyashita from the label, Takahiromiyashita The Soloist; the Italian label Malibu 1992, which will rebrand as M1992 during Pitti Uomo; and the unveiling of men's and women's Woolmark prize winners. Finland has been announced as the guest nation of the 93rd edition. Show organisers also announced several other interesting initiatives, including a runway debut from Luca Magliano, design winner of the Who's On Next Uomo 2017 competition, with his brand Magliano.

The trade show has received close to 600 new participant requests this season and is increasing its exhibitor numbers. Pitti Uomo will have to create more show space, expecting 1,230 brands for the next edition, compared to 1220 for last winter. 541 exhibitors hail from overseas (44% of the total) while 227 will make their debut at Pitti Uomo. Making a return to the show is Corneliani, Paul & Shark, Fratelli Rossetti, and Pepe Jeans London, which will celebrate 45 years at the event.

"It is a very positive season with a strong international presence, and a lot of a research and new talent. Pitti has become big laboratory, where multiple collaborations are born," said the event manager, Raffaello Napoleone.

The new Athlovers project, which will be presented in the Polveriera pavilion, is one example of how the show aims to promote innovation.

"We've asked five leading brands to interpret the athleisure trend with a prestigious textile maker, namely Reda, a historic firm from Biella in the Piedmontese wool district," he added.

The five brands on board are: 42.54 (Belgium), Aeance (Germany), Dyne (U.S), Gr1ps (Italian) and Isaora (U.S).

There will be some big names too, most notably Karl Lagerfeld and Birkenstock with its itinerant Box/pop-up store. Show visitors can also expect all the buzz of store openings during the event with several launch parties in Florence. The Italian luxury brand Gucci will bow Gucci Garden, comprising a store and a restaurant, and Moncler and Ermanno Scervino will open locations as well.

This season, the focus will also be on Asia (in addition to the Japanese guests of honour), with a space  dedicated to the seven finalists of the Tokyo Fashion Award. The event will also feature another edition of its Concept Korea project that features Korean fashion. The show's estimated 36,000 visitors should expect to have quite a busy week.