Pitti Uomo Is Back Setting the Tone for Strong Men’s Season

FLORENCE, Italy — Pitti Uomo was back at it — almost.

The vibe at the four-day menswear trade fair was upbeat, and the business action in full force, although the number of exhibitors at the exhibition was half the tally in January 2020, the last pre-pandemic show.

Buyers were back, side events were bustling (Wales Bonner was a retailer favorite along with Brunello Cucinelli) and sun soaked the town, as brands displayed breezy takes on tailoring, artisanal techniques, crafty details and soft-edged knitwear.

“There was an incredibly festive mood at Pitti Uomo. We’re thrilled to be back here at the show, shopping and scouting brands in person,” said Bruce Pask, men’s fashion director of Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.

“We could sense excitement pulsating throughout the fair and an overall appreciation of being able to travel, reunite and discuss the fashion business in person again,” echoed Reginald Christian, men’s fashion market manager at Saks Fifth Avenue.

The exceptional heat had attendees sporting their lightest linen outerwear and crisp cotton suits, in Nordstrom men’s fashion and editorial director Jian DeLeon’s words, a forecast of the collections on show.

Spring collections focused on “hand, touch and the softness and deconstruction of garments. The turn toward casual over the past two years has had a great impact on what customers desire,” Pask said.

DeLeon described the breezy tailoring as “unstructured elegance where suiting continues to feel less stuffy, and the codes of casual sportswear continue to blend,” which contributed to what Rinascente’s head of fashion Federica Montelli described as a “return of gentleman style, even if it’s relaxed and deconstructed in favor of ease, rather than comfort, as we had seen in previous seasons.”

Open weave and see-through knitwear was also dominant. “The volume of the lightweight knits we saw, be it in polo, short-sleeved crewnecks or button-through iterations couldn’t be ignored,” said Matthew Sebra, senior fashion director men’s and kids at Macy’s Inc., mentioning strong pattern mixing at Piacenza 1733.

Alongside the overall delicate but optimistic color palette, there was a soft-edged elegance and a focus on handicraft and quality, a prime focus for Millennial customers, according to Montelli.

“Buyers were looking for new dynamic visual styles while keeping authenticity alive. Personally, I am looking for emerging designers and brands having an honest creative approach and a sustainability-concerned production,” said Alexandra Tistounet, menswear buyer at Printemps, who scouted Indian brand Dhruv Kapoor and London-based Maxime Design.

Here are some of the top brands from the show.

Caruso

Designer: Aldo Maria Camillo

Inspiration: Caruso’s designer and chief executive officer Marco Angeloni are men on a mission. They’re consistently trying to update sartorial tropes to make them look easier to approach and become “objects of desire,” in Camillo’s words. Channeling Julian Schnabel’s work, persona and sensitivity for colors, the brand’s spring lineup was luxurious in its construction and fabric choice, from superfine wool to lyocell and cotton, but playful in the use of unexpected nuances, such as lilac, dusty pink and bloody red. It offered a good example of how modern men could dare more without compromising their sartorial taste.

Key styles: Double-breasted suits were crafted from featherlight wool that looked like linen, they had generous lapels and were paired with pleated carrot pants. A buttery white patchwork number, created from deadstock fabrics under the Re-Life moniker, stood out for its laid-back refinement. Here were some of the chicest shorts at the fair, pleated and done in a multicolor Vichy pattern, paired with basic sweats and the occasional silk scarf bearing old map illustrations. When veering toward more casual territory, Camillo struck a balance between a workwear bent and the brand’s tailoring prowess, with a khaki shorts and shirts combo that looked dapper. Carrying them over from fall, evening suits bore jacquard floral patterns as flamboyant tuxedo options, while contrast piping added a youthful spin on cocktail attire.

Price range: Suits retail between $1,790 and $2,600 while shirts are priced between $350 and $590.

Josh Peskowitz x Sannino

Designer: Josh Peskowitz

Inspiration: Family-run Sannino is a Neapolitan outerwear specialist providing the finest suede and leather numbers to luxury powerhouses, but it is building structure for its house label to guarantee continuity for the family’s fifth and sixth generations. They tapped industry veteran, editor and merchant Josh Peskowitz for a creative consultancy, to develop a joint capsule collection. Peskowitz said he’s always been mesmerized by the firm’s manufacturing prowess — “You can see and feel how light [outerwear] is when you take a look,” he said.

Key styles: Building on the firm’s know-how, the capsule collection oozed artisanship and tapped into signature men’s silhouettes, as in the hand-placed patchwork field jacket made of suede panels in different blue tones and gray; the chore coat done in patchwork, and hand-drawn, embroidered, mandarin-collared pieces. All non-leather items in the capsule and main collection — the latter encompassing a rich assortment of raincoats, trucker jackets crafted from Loro Piana’s Storm System textiles, and more — were water-resistant. “We wanted to focus on showing the craftsmanship capabilities that the guys have, obviously the history of menswear manufacturing in Naples is legendary,” Peskowitz said.

Price range: The capsule collection retails between $1,300 and $2,325.

Herno

Designer: In-house design team

Inspiration: Although men seem to be embracing a dressier wardrobe, practical options are not going anywhere, as president and CEO Claudio Marenzi sees the casualization trend still going strong, which is helping lead to Herno’s strong performance and brand awareness. The spring lineup was all about carryover pieces injected with a fashion-y spin and the brand’s longstanding sustainability credentials. The company is expanding its total look options, with unfussy pants, sweats and T-shirts serving as elevated basics.

Key styles: The three-pronged main line tapped into a variety of needs, from the roomy field jackets in coated linen accented by neon details and net lining for extra breathability, to edgy glossy parkas with a crackled effect and psychedelic prints on nylon windbreakers. Premium options included cashmere and silk transitional down jackets and linen and silk overshirts, while the Core range elevated Herno’s signature styles beyond rain-proof cotton trenchcoats and stretch gabardine windbreakers, the latter bearing a colorful folk pattern. For its Herno Globe sustainable collection, the brand introduced a cotton-looking nylon which biodegrades in salty waters but does not release filaments when washed.

Price range: N/A

Piacenza 1733

Designers: Jan & Carlos

Inspiration: The spring collection was a feast for the eyes, with its combination of deep nuances, frisky accents and piled textures. It mixed preppy chic and Millennial poet, with offbeat touches such as the juxtaposition of patterns — the socks and sandals combo and the cotton beanie capping off every look. Originally a textile specialist, Piacenza 1733 is doing things right when it comes to ready-to-wear, capitalizing on its integrated supply chain and access to precious materials, such as cashmere and silk blends and extra-fine merino wool.

Key styles: The knitwear offering was particularly rich, an exploration of a million textures, from piquet to jacquard and crochet, for loose cardigans and crewnecks. They came in vibrant color combinations, teal and forest green, curry orange and violet, saffron yellow and curcuma red, which were particularly appealing in the striped numbers that nodded to the ikat technique. Roomy pleated shorts in muted tones counterpointed the colorful tops, while madras and windowpane relaxed suits exuded a preppy vibe.

Price range: Retail prices span from 180 euros to 1,500 euros.

Marc O’Polo

Designer: Susanne Schwenger, chief product officer

Inspiration: It’s a new era for contemporary Swedish and Germany-based brand Marc O’Polo. Under the lead of new CEO Maximilian Böck, who is trying to bring “another spirit” to the company, as he put it, the brand is aiming for internationalization and to embrace younger customers. This was reflected in the spring collection, in which the brand’s sustainable efforts, championed for 35 years, were out in full force, for eco-minded denimwear, responsible shirts with an artisanal look, a Native Union capsule with activewear features and a collaboration with textile maker Manteco for organic cotton options.

Key styles: Earthy tones were ubiquitous, in the mustard linen shirts and organic cotton striped overshirts and hoodies with folk references. Refined workwear jackets and pants were a great alternative to the yellow GOTS cotton deconstructed suits, while knitwear stood out for its tactile quality and good mix of techniques, from purl to warp and Milano knits. The artisanal bent of most pieces resonated with trends in the menswear arena.

Price range: Apparel retails between 59 euros for jerseys and 549 euros for outerwear.

Ecoalf

Designer: Julie Sohn

Inspiration: At its second Pitti Uomo effort, Ecoalf took over a large space to showcase its prowess in sustainability and expansive knowledge of the subject. Founder Javier Goyeneche said he is often asked for advice by industry insiders and consultancies and he’s eager to share information, the brand’s claim being “because there is no planet B.” In keeping with its casualwear proposition, more directional for the main line and elevated when it comes to the 1.0 premium line and innovation hotbed, the collection revolved around eco-minded fabrics that guided the design process.

Key styles: After seven years of research, spring marked the introduction of 100 percent recycled cotton options for T-shirts, cargo shorts and crispy anoraks, done in a Mediterranean color palette of baby blue and dusty navy with occasional interjections of zingy orange and lime green. Taking its responsible bent a step further, Ecoalf is introducing a new program to upcycle its cotton garments whereby it only loses 3 percent of the original fabric via a partnership with The Loop and aims to directly sell its flawed garments at a discounted price. “We’re really embracing circularity, which I think is the way forward,” said Goyeneche. The Ecoalf 1.0 collection was also a standout, offering a laid-back breezy proposition in sandy tones, black and lime green, crafted from recycled cashmere and poly derived from ocean waste.

Price range: Ecoalf’s main line retails between 40 euros and 300 euros; Ecoalf 1.0 collection is priced between 100 euros and 450 euros.