‘Pitti Uomo 96’ Around the City

 

Has fashion finally become inclusive? The summer edition of Florence’s twice-a-year Pitti Uomo menswear trade show (June 11-14) has become more accessible than ever. Gone are the days when firms showcased their collections to the buyers behind the magnificent but closed doors of the Hotel Villa Medici.

After an evening of public festivities on Ponte Vecchio, via Maggio and via Tornabuoni on the evening of June 10, capped with fireworks, the official opening ceremony of Pitti Uomo will be held in the Salone dei Cinquecento of Palazzo Vecchio on June 11 at 10:30 am (by invitation only). In its 96th edition, this international men’s fair will be showcasing collections of 1220 brands for the fall-winter 2019/20 season at the Fortezza da Basso.

Several special guests will highlight this edition. Givenchy (now owned by LVMH), founded by the legendary Hubert de Givenchy in 1952, is Pitti Uomo’s Guest Designer. Clare Waight Keller, the British stylist and artistic director of the LVMH group maison, will present a new menswear collection on Wednesday, June 12 at 7:30 pm.

Pitti events will also take place outside the Fortezza in selected Florence locations.

Piazza della Signoria with its restored fountain of Neptune by Ammanati will be the setting for “Florence Calling,” the global preview of the new spring-summer 2020 menswear collection by Salvatore Ferragamo (June 11, 7:30 pm).

The spotlight will be on two historical Florentine labels during Pitti Uomo. Gucci will inaugurate the new layout of the Gucci Garden Gallery inside the historic Palazzo della Mercanzia in Piazza della Signoria (June 11, 5 pm) and Emilio Pucci will present “Unexpected Pucci.” Published by Rizzoli and edited by Laudomia Pucci, the book is about the designer’s impact beyond fashion through art, furniture and lifestyle (Palazzo Pucci, June 12, 10 am – 1 pm; an accompanying exhibition will be on display until June 14, by appointment).

The Sicilian designer Marco De Vincenzo, protagonist of the Pitti Italics Special Event, will launch his first men’s collection with a fashion show at the Tepidarium del Roster, Giardino dell’Orticoltura, via Vittorio Emmanuele (June 12, 10 am). MSGM, the clothing and accessories brand founded in 2009 by Massimo Giorgetti, will celebrate its first 10 years with a unique event at the Mandela Forum on June 13 at 10 am.

Arguably, the most spectacular moment of Pitti Uomo will take place for 5,000 lucky guests on the breathtaking stage of Piazzale Michelangelo on June 13 starting at 7:30 pm. Carine Roitfeld, the former editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris and founder of CR Fashion Book and CR Studio, will preside over her first CR runway show. The event will celebrate the 90th anniversary of LuisaViaRoma, the Florence concept store. The audience will watch a 90s themed multi-brand show featuring 90 of Roitfeld’s favorite looks from fall-winter 19 collections worn by some of the most iconic supermodels, such as Eva Herzigova, the Hadid sisters and Irina Shayk. A special performance by Lenny Kravitz will close the evening.

Palazzo Pitti’s Fashion and Costume Museum will inaugurate the exhibition “A Short Novel on Men’s Fashion” on June 11 (running until September 29) by Olivier Saillard. A journey through three decades of men’s fashion from 1989 to the present through the lens of Pitti Uomo, the show is conceived as a tribute to Marco Rivetti, president of Pitti Immagine from 1987 to 1995.

Sterling Ruby is Pitti Uomo no. 96’s Special Guest. The multifaceted American artist is famous for work that spans sculpture, ceramics, video, photography, textiles, and painting. His pieces are included in public collections of the most prominent museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and London’s Tate Modern. After collaborations with Raf Simons, Dior, and Calvin Klein, Ruby is poised to unveil the first collection by his fashion brand S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA. at a special event at Le Pagliere (June 13, 6 pm).

At the 16th century Palazzo Larderel, a display, One Planet One Future, an artistic eco-friendly project created by Anne de Carbuccia, will be accessible from June 11 to 30.

Also open to the public is “If I could, unless we,” a night walk through the renovated space of a former industrial area—a tobacco factory—Manifattura Tabacchi on June 11, 12, 13, and 14 from 9:30 pm to midnight.

Meanwhile, the Fortezza del Basso will have its own little fashion world. Designers, buyers, and press will gather in the 13 sections of the Fortezza to experience a complete overview of men’s fashion world, comprising the sportswear of I Play, the contemporary-classic menswear of Futuro Maschile, collections by the six Tokyo Fashion Award finalists inside Touch! and the colognes of Hi Beauty.

Among the highlights will be Karl Lagerfeld’s S/S 2020 collection, accompanied by a live performance by London based street-artist Endless, who will paint a giant portrait of the late designer during the four days of the fair.  Fashionistas are looking forward to seeing the metropolitan line of AX Armani.

This edition also marks the debut at the Spazio Carra of Coin Excelsior, with a selection of brands from the Italian upmarket department store chain dedicated to apparel, home décor, accessories and beauty.  The same space will host “Passions: today’s man and the future of retail,” a talk with entrepreneurs and international talents, moderated by Timothy Small, director of Esquire Italia magazine (June 12, 2:30 pm).

A touch of Hollywood glamour comes to Florence through the presence of Gabriella Pescucci, the recipient of the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for the film The Age of Innocence (1993) and winner of two Emmy awards for the historical series The Borgias (2011 and 2013).  Together with fellow designers Alessandro Lai and Carlo Poggioli, she will oversee La Stoffa dei sogni (The Fabric of Dreams), a costume design workshop for TV and cinema (June 11, 2:15 pm in the Area Monumentale).

Other appointments will be housed in some of the most beautiful Florentine palaces: the presentation of the new Canali collection at Palazzo Ximenes (June 12, from 5 pm to 9:30 pm) and the happening by Jacob Cohen at the Palazzo Gondi (June 11, from 6:30 pm to 9 pm).  (celeste giampietro collins)