The 99th edition of Pitti Uomo is debuting today, January 12, through its Connect platform digital format. The event will stay online until the end of March. Along with it a physical edition might also take place.
“We are keeping open the physical option from February 21 to 23, while we wait for the provisions regarding fairs set out in the next governmental rules scheduled for the end of next week,” explained Raffaello Napoleone, CEO, Pitti Immagine. “We are ready on both fronts, fully aware of the situation and proud of the approximately 250 companies that have put their faith in us in the current climate and want to work with us,” he continued.
The core of the event will be Italian exhibitors, although a selection of foreign brands will also participate as part of the Pitti Olympics, an online project focusing on emerging brands selected by country.
“The Pitti Connect platform has been heavily revamped compared to last summer,” said Agostino Poletto, general manager, Pitti Uomo. “The new functions have been designed and realized to satisfy the requirements of the companies with regard to their relationship with buyers. The principle is to give our exhibitors an opportunity to release as much content as possible throughout the period they are online.”
A series of special events will be in live-streaming on uomo.pittimmagine.com
Key events part of the schedule are:
- Tuesday, January 12, at 10:00 am, Brunello Cucinelli preview
Brunello Cucinelli, a reference brand of Pitti Uomo and a global champion of Italian menswear, is opening the digital edition of the show and presents a preview of its new f/w 2021 collection with an exclusive event broadcasted directly from the village of Solomeo, the company's headquarters.
- Wednesday, January 13, at 10:30 am, Herno @ Pitti Uomo 99
Herno’s owner Claudio Marenzi will report live from his showroom in Milan about the Herno and Laminar upcoming f/w 2021-22 collections. The focus of the initiative is Herno Globe, a label dedicated to the brand's green products, with the special participation of Oscar Farinetti, entrepreneur and co-founder of Green Retail park and store Green Pea (also see here) live from Turin, where the Herno collection is present.
- Thursday, January 14 at 2:30 pm, Kiton From Napoli
Kiton, the Italian menswear brand, opens the doors of its atelier in Naples, live, sharing with the public its mission to cater to most sophisticated men’s fashion connoisseurs, while remaining faithful to tradition. It expresses its own soul constantly projected on innovation.
- Thursday, January 21, at 10:30 am, Lardini from Filottrano
Lardini will present Life in the Woods, a presentation of the brand’s fall/winter 2021 collection as an invitation to look for an intimate relationship with nature, led by the family of entrepreneurs from the company’s headquarters and own production hub in Filottrano, in Italy’s Marche region.
Among the digital projects:
- Ten C, the high-end outerwear brand owned by Fgf Industry, will present its fall/winter 21 collection whose watchword is OJJ, Original Japanese Jersey, a key highly versatile material for the brand’s identity and evolution.
- C.P. Company has chosen Pitti Uomo as a platform for the launch of “C.P. Company Cinquanta,” a project aimed at celebrating the Italian brand’s 50th anniversary, through an intense program of collaborations, activities dedicated to communities and tributes to the history of sportswear.
- The “Exhibitors Spotlight” is a new editorial format of Pitti Uomo presenting a selection of reference brands participating in this edition, presenting their newest collections and the special projects.
- The Special Project Sustainable Style #2, is an initiative committed to research and sustainability curated by fashion editor and independent scouter Giorgia Cantarini. It is the second edition of an initiative that debuted last summer. With Sustainable Style, Pitti Immagine confirms its commitment to promote responsible menswear, presenting a selection of designers from all over the world, who combine eco-sustainability, production ethics, aesthetics, style and business. Protagonists of this edition include DNI, Flavialarocca, Kidsofbrokenfuture, Kseniaschnaider, Luca Kemkes, Myar, Nous Etudions, Philip Huang, Raeburn, Reamerei, Uniforme, Vitelli, Yatay and Young n Sang.
On January 14, they will announce the winner of the Reda x Sustainable Style Award, among selected participants who had the opportunity to produce a capsule collection for Rewoolution, Reda Group's own activewear brand.
- By hosting EFI Ethical Fashion Initiative, Pitti Uomo returns to promoting young creatives from Africa selected by the Ethical Fashion Initiative, the program of the International Trade Center, an agency with a joint mandate from the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. Participants are Jiamini (Kenya), Lukhanyo Mdingi (South Africa), Margaux Wong (Burundi) and Wuman (Nigeria).
- Pitti Olympics is a new special online project dedicated to a series of reference countries for Pitti Uomo. The initiative aims to enhance some of the best and most creative brands, and thus overcome the distances imposed by the health emergency.
- Finnish designer Rolf Ekroth, a graduate of Aalto University and a finalist at the 2016 Hyères Fashion Festival, returns to Pitti Uomo with “Reset. Rolf Ekroth AW XXI,” a green collection inspired by 1980s horror films and Nordic peasant traditions and created using for the first time Bio2Textile, a new fabric developed by the Finnish energy company Fortum with agricultural waste from straw.
- On January 14, Polimoda presents “Polimoda Duets with Iris van Herpen.” The Pitti Connect platform will host a conversation with van Herpen, the Dutch designer who has redefined the relationship between craftsmanship, couture and technology.
This edition of Pitti Uomo participants is divided into three macro areas, which define the different identities of contemporary menswear.
Fantastic Classic leads visitors through the evolutions of high-profile menswear from a reinterpretation of tailoring beyond formal apparel, to a crossover proposal of lifestyle products. Among the leading brands there are: A.Testoni, Alessandro Gherardi, Briglia 1949, Gabriele Pasini, Gran Sasso, Heinz Bauer Manufakt, Invertere, L’Impermeabile, Mabrun, Marco Pescarolo Napoli, Paul & Shark, Phil Petter, Roberto Collina, Schneiders, Stefano Ricci, Stetson, Stewart, Tatras, Tombolini and Xacus.
Dynamic Attitude connects urban apparel styles with authentic sports through some very creative workshops. Among the leading brands participating in it are 24Bottles, Ben Sherman, Bikkembergs, Closed, Colmar Originals, Invicta, Karl Lagerfeld, Mc2 Saint Barth, Museum The Original, Saint James, Save the Duck and Voile Blanche.
Super Styling presents a selection of experimental and innovative brands with an international character that anticipate some key future trends. Among the leading brands of this section are Ahirain, Armor Lux, Arys, Barbed, Brandblack, Drm, Flower Mountain, G.R.P., Harris Wharf London, L. F. Lidfort, Ma’Ry’Ya, Mantidy, Olow, oqLiq, Run Of Runarchy Attitude, Superduper Hats, Transit Uomo, Unfeigned, Unimatic and Vintage & Republic.
For a more detailed calendar of digital events, visit the Pitti Immagine website.
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