Last week Florence held it’s bi-annual trade show event called Pitti Uomo. It’s an event where anyone who is anyone (apparently) in the world of menswear shows up.
Attendees from around Italy, England, Russia, Japan and of course the US (and many more places) come through the 4 day event. As it goes at trade shows, it’s a lot more than simply coming to look for suppliers, there is a lot of networking going on around the event & the bars in the evening (yes, it gets messy).
While we Brits now have London Collection: Mens (LC:M) to feast our eyes on new menswear (where London Fashion Week fails us), it’s still nothing like Pitti Uomo . This is an event that the sartorially inclined converge at like no other, and this year Morts & More said we just had to be there. At LC:M even though some attendees pull out their best wears, we are very much reserved in comparison. The Italians are already known for their unique flair, but even they turn it up a notch for Pitti (as does everyone).
Pitti for us was also an experience like no other, speaking to a peer from the US he summed it up best that it’s really an experience in what it feels like to be a celebrity. Imagine every step you take there’s a photographer ready to snap a picture of you. Literally, we stepped out of the taxi coming straight from the airport and someone asked to take a picture with us (and they weren’t the last to do so). It’s almost surreal, out of the corner of your eye you’ll see people pulling out their phones or huge cameras to take your picture (as most don’t ask) but it’s just how it is. If they like you’re style they are going to snap you.
‘Peacock square’ is an interesting one. Its where most of the networking happens during the day (and subsequently most of the papping) just outside the main building. If you sit on the pebble wall there is no doubt you are going to have a shot taken. However if you are just sitting around looking to get a picture taken it probably won’t happen.
Pitti was a great event where we made some fantastic connections and also a supplier for our next product line. Florence will definitely be seeing us for their Pitti Uomo 88 June event. Time to start thinking of a few new suits..
Picture sources: Instagram, nytimes.com, furore.co.vu, parisiangentleman.co.uk