Pitti Uomo 96 will unveil in Florence from June 11-14

The fair will feature a well-curated edit and mapping out of select lifestyles, will focus on venues with cutting-edge fashion research and an emphasis on more forward-thinking areas. There will be projects that combine outdoor and fashion moods to represent new souls of the athleisure wardrobe and reveal the know-how of contemporary artisans. In addition, one will find the excellence of new classics alongside the most up-to-date sportswear brands, the new generation of talents from Northern Europe and the latest names on the Far East fashion scene to luxury streetwear and the most pioneering styles.

The theme of this edition of Pitti Immagine summer fairs is ‘The Pitti Special Click’. Something special clicks into place every six months at the Pitti Immagine fairs when the research carried out by brands and the Pitti team into new projects, events and international names faces off with the research of buyers, journalists, influencers and visitors from all over the world. The resulting sparks produce an always new energy and emotions together with a certain ‘X Factor’ that makes each encounter a success and makes people eager to come to Florence in order to see, learn and try to understand. The main forecourt of the Fortezza da Basso will be transformed through the set design curated by lifestyler Sergio Colantuoni. The Pitti Special Click will also be presented through the fairs’ new advertising campaign by Emilio Tini, the photographer and artist whose style celebrates Italian creativity and savoir faire and who has collaborated with prestigious international brands.

On the occasion of Pitti Uomo 96, at the Museo della Moda e del Costume of Palazzo Pitti, the Fondazione Pitti Immagine Discovery will present the exhibition Romanzo breve di Moda Maschile – a Short Novel on men’s fashion from June 12  – September 29, opening on June 11 by Olivier Saillard. This will be a journey through three decades of men’s fashion from 1989 to the present through the lens of Pitti Uomo. It will be a story about evolution of menswear and Made in Italy meeting guest designers, today’s fashion talents meeting entrepreneurs from big brands. This project-exhibition will be in memory of Marco Rivetti and will become a permanent collection and a book/catalogue to mark thirty years of Pitti Immagine.

The summer edition of the show will launch a special collaboration between Pitti Immagine and Instagram. At the Fortezza da Basso, a photo set by Instagram will be set up based on The Pitti Special Click theme and will be open to the public of Pitti Uomo. A special photography project will also preview the Romanzo Breve/A Short Novel menswear exhibit at the Museo della Moda e del Costume at Palazzo Pitti curated by Saillard to mark thirty years of Pitti Immagine.

Givenchy will be the guest designer of this edition of Pitti Uomo. Clare Waight Keller – the British stylist and artistic director of the LVMH group maison since spring 2017 – will present the new menswear collection from the brand that is an icon of French elegance with a special event scheduled for June 12.

Sterling Ruby will be the special guest at Pitti 96. The American artist famous for the multifaceted nature of his work that spans painting, ceramics, collage, video and photography, artwork fabrics, sculpture and installations, as well as his personal acknowledgment of American workwear, will present the first collection by his brand SR Studio LA CA at a special event to be held June 13, at Le Pagliere.

MSGM, the brand founded in 2009 by Massimo Giorgetti, will return to Pitti Uomo to celebrate its first ten years with a unique event scheduled on June 13. A collection bearing the brand’s distinctive DNA, which spans Made in Italy excellences and new millennium styles, will be showcased at the Mandela Forum in Florence.

Marco De Vincenzo will return to Pitti Uomo as this edition’s Pitti Italics Special Event. Recognised as one of the most innovative voices on the fashion scene, on June 12, the Sicilian designer will launch the Marco De Vincenzo S/S 2020 menswear collection for the first time, with a fashion show at the Tepidarium del Roster.

Salvatore Ferragamo has chosen Florence and Pitti Uomo as the stage for the world debut of the new Spring-Summer 2020 menswear collection. The brand will present a special fashion show at Pitti Uomo 96 on June 11, in the magnificent setting of Piazza della Signoria.

On June 11, Gucci will inaugurate the new layout of the Gucci Garden Gallery, inside the historic Palazzo della Mercanzia in Piazza della Signoria. An unusual curatorial approach and innovative exhibition solutions will trace an itinerary that will be able to hold together the materiality of the objects, selected from the Maison’s archive, and the immaterial impulses of the creative vision. The period rooms of the Gucci Garden Gallery will continue to host the exhibition Il Maschile - Androgynous Mind, Eclectic Body, opened last January. Intended as a thematic lunge, the exhibition will put in the spotlight the project of men’s fashion as a territory of possibilities.

Carine Roitfeld, fashion visionary and founder of CR Fashion Book and CR Studio, will present her first CR Runway official fashion show and will join Andrea Panconesi, CEO of LuisaViaRoma, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of LuisaViaRoma, scheduled in Florence on June 13. Created with his son and business partner Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld, the opening show will combine a 90s themed show with the performance of Lenny Kravitz.

“In 1991 I had an intuition, and I called it A|X. Looking at the reality of the street, before it became just another vogue, I created fast, affordable metropolitan clothing for the young generations or those with a young mindset. The spirit persists today in apparel and accessories that speed forward to an urban drum keeping the quintessential effortlessness and the active stance of the GA DNA,” said Italian designer Giorgio Armani.

The brand’s presentation in Florence will pay tribute to the memory of Karl Lagerfeld and celebrate his immense legacy of creativity as a design icon. The brand will further showcase its S/S 2020 collections including menswear, womenswear, footwear, eyewear, denim and beachwear.

BasicIcons is the novelty that the BasicNet Group will bring to Pitti Uomo at the Padiglione delle Ghiaie, an area of 350 sqm that is double the size compared to last year. Alongside the S/S 2020 collections, BasicNet will celebrate the 4 icon pieces from its 4 brands: the 222 Banda by Kappa, the Le Vrai 3.0 jacket by K-Way, the Docksides boat shoe by Sebago, and the 2750 sneaker by Superga.

Kired and Sartorio will present new collections and their stylistic identities in a new space on the lower floor of the Padiglione Centrale. The Sartorio line, with its strong sartorial imprint that is modern and casual, will tell the story of a Neapolitan in the World. Together with the Kired brand, which is characterised by the combination of artisanal excellence and innovation, the two brands will present their novelties for the first time in a new space.

Drumoh will return to Pitti Uomo in a new space on the Attic Floor. The iconic yarns of the brand will be on view together with a series of new products from the new Capsule Swimwear to the I-Drumohr line, created to give space to a more sporty look that is characterised by the know-how that has always been part of Drumohr’s DNA.

With its brand reboot already underway for several seasons, Bikkembergs will use Florence to unveil its S/S 2020 collection. In an independent space in Piazzale delle Ghiaie, new ideas will be the protagonists of what embodies the spirit of the Bikkembergs line, the fulcrum of the forthcoming collections.

Florence’s coolest concept store Société Anonyme will meet Closed – a contemporary design brand with a uniquely creative DNA. The family business stands for quality, understated looks and handmade Italian denim since 1978. The two labels join forces to create a streetwear-inspired denim collection. The collaboration will be presented at a launch party on June 11, at the Société Anonyme store.

The renowned Italian brand from Bologna will return to Pitti Uomo to present the new S/S 2020 collection rich with important news related to the iconic Toppa. The spotlight will be on the Jeckerson Racing project, inspired by the drivers and race circuits of the 1970s. It will also include the Polistil X Jeckerson capsule collection, an iconic brand that for 50 years has been a reference point for motor enthusiasts.

On June 12, the Limonaia di Villa Vittoria will host the multimedia project presented by Lanificio F.lli Cerruti 1881: six protagonists, drawn from the world of the arts and design, will wear clothes made with Itravel, the innovative season-proof and anti-crease fabric developed by the Biella-based brand for today’s travellers.

E. Marinella, the iconic sartorial brand of Neapolitan origin, will tell its centenary history made up of four generations with an event on June 12, at the Limonaia in the Giardino Corsini. The company will trace more than a century of elegance through its fabrics, its famous ties and its accessories, recounting the evolution of a style that has always stood out for the refinement and quality of the raw materials.

Tiger of Sweden with creative director Christoffer Lundman will present on June 12 at Aria Art Gallery its Spring/Summer collection, inspired by the Swedish botanist and scientist Carl Linnaeus, alongside an exhibition of uniquely commissioned work for the latest issue of the biannual journal 1903.

The most promising names on the new Chinese creative scene will be the protagonists in Florence of the Guest Nation special project organised by the Fondazione Pitti Immagine Discovery in collaboration with Shanghai Fashion Week. Ten designers will showcase their collections at the Fortezza da Basso in the Grotte area. The events and special projects scheduled include a fashion show by the Chinese duo Pronounce on June 12 at Dogana and a photographic exhibition by the established fashion photographer Leslie Zhang curated by Dan Cui.

Pitti Immagine, in collaboration with Revolver Copenhagen, will present the third edition of Scandinavian Manifesto: a unique selection of collections by emerging fashion designers and established names from Denmark, Sweden and Norway. It will focus on the new wave from Northern Europe which spans fashion, art and design.

The latest chapter in the long collaboration between Pitti Immagine and Tokyo Fashion Award will be showcased in a dedicated space inside Touch!. The collections of 6 up-and-coming brands from Japan selected by a prestigious jury will be featured.

I Go Out will celebrate the encounter between the passion for open-air sports and the most advanced style research. Aesthetically impeccable collections will combine style and performance, function and design research. Products from all over the world will merge quality, comfort and design.

Futuro Maschile, the test bed focusing on the most up-to-date contemporary-classic menswear which has always been one of Pitti Uomo’s most visited venues, will present an increasingly across-the-board brand mix. Hyper-curated collections will dialogue with experimental sportswear to offer a selection of products focused on new ideas.

Unconventional, the Pitti Uomo project dedicated to the liveliest versions of luxury street style, will welcome an even more innovative brand mix without losing its avant-garde edge. It will offer experimental proposals from a unique mix of international names. It will showcase exclusive collections for a gender-neutral wardrobe together with crossover projects between premium streetwear and contemporary styles.

The hyper-sophisticated identity of Make is confirmed with a project that will showcase a new generation of craftspeople from all over the world. It will focus on collections and special pieces that blend manufacturing know-how and contemporary appeal. The layout concept for this edition will be The Precious Box, a magical box with simple geometrical contours.

The heart of Pitti Uomo, the Main Pavilion (Padiglione Centrale) will host the evolution of menswear and its design contaminations, with brands that rediscover tailoring and interpret the new luxury of the menswear wardrobe to collections that dialogue with the other worlds of Pitti Uomo. Alongside the companies present in the Main Pavilion, the contemporary classic universe will also unfold through a series of brands that have chosen independent spaces inside the Fortezza.

L’Altro Uomo has always featured avant-garde styles at Pitti Uomo. Inside a layout by Andrea Caputo Studio, a series of clothing and accessory collections will exhibit their creativity and ability to anticipate trends.

The international DNA for I Play, which will sit inside the Cavaniglia Pavilion and a series of independent spaces, will push the envelope when it comes to defining the borders of sportswear. In the forefront, there will be styles that creatively link ways of urban life to authentic sportswear outfits.

Urban Panorama will give voice to the brashness of the metropolis and its style. A territory that is open to anyone with a thirst for freedom, it will blend biker inspiration and ethnic influences in denim.

Located in the Lyceum, My Factory will be the perfect venue to examine 2.0 youth culture and the liveliest laboratories in the urban and sportswear sector.

On June 11, at the Manifattura Tabacchi, the future third branch of Polimoda, the fashion world’s newest talents, will show their work during the 2019 Polimoda Fashion Show: Supernature. This is a selection of the best graduate collections realised by the esteemed institute’s fashion design students. It will be presented before an international jury and audience of fashion insiders. The Supernature fashion show will kick off Polimoda’s own ‘fashion week’.

On June 12, at Palazzo Ximènes, Canali will show the new SS collection, an Italian tailoring collection in plain air that will take place between bucolic inspirations and cozy atmospheres.

On June 11, at Palazzo Gondi, the event by Jacob Cohen - from heritage to future - will tell more about the Jacob Cohen brand through installations, sounds and videos, in a journey through the beautiful spaces of the Florentine palace.

On June 11, at the Corte-Courtyard areas of the Palazzina Reale, the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) together with Detox - CID and Greenpeace Italia will present The Time is Now!, five eco-friendly collections realised by a group of 15 creatives selected from among the third year IED students of the fashion design and fashion stylist courses at the schools in Milan, Rome, Florence, Turin and Como. (PC)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India