Pitti Immagine Uomo '86, held in Florence from June 17th to 20th, attracted a total of approximately 30,000 visitors, including 19,000 buyers, a 5% increase from the previous year. The 1,165 participating brands set a new record for a spring/summer exhibition in recent years. Germany (800 visitors) and Japan (799 visitors) were tied for first place in the international buyer visitor rankings, followed by Spain, the United Kingdom, and China. Italian buyers increased 8% from the previous year to 11,300. This year's event also coincided with "Firenze Hometown of Fashion," celebrating the 60th anniversary of Pitti Uomo's parent organization, CFMI (Centro di Firenze Hometown of Fashion). Various events centered on Florentine fashion houses were held not only at Fortezza da Basso, Pitti Uomo's main venue, but also throughout Florence. At the opening ceremony, former Florence Mayor and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi declared the event open. This was the first time in Pitti history that a top Italian politician had attended the event, bringing together the men's fashion industry and the city of Florence in a unified energy that seems poised to take over from Milan's men's fashion, which is beginning to lose its freshness.
At the opening ceremony, an awards ceremony was held in which Mitsukoshi Isetan, United Arrows, and Beams were selected from Japan as part of the Top 30 by the British fashion information site BoF (The Business of Fashion). This award recognizes companies that have, over the past few years, adopted the concept of "multi-brand (select shop)" in the men's market and have developed stores for sophisticated customers from around the world.
Prior to the opening ceremony, on the 16th, a pre-event concert was held at the Opera House featuring Andrea Bocelli, Patrizia Orciani, and the Florence May Festival Philharmonic. The Ponte Vecchio was illuminated by Stefano Ricci, and a water show by the French company Ilotopie was also held.
On the 17th, Vogue Italia held a photo exhibition dedicated to Florentine fashion houses at Palazzo Vecchio. Gucci opened its "Gucci Museum" to the public, and in the evening it hosted a cocktail party and projection mapping. Emilio Pucci surprised not only tourists but also Florentines with an installation that covered the Baptistery of San Giovanni with scarf motifs from its archives. A cocktail party was held at Palazzo Pucci on the same day, and archive collections and prints were also unveiled. In addition to these, Salvatore Ferragamo held an exhibition titled "Equilibrium" at its museum, themed on the act of walking, and a dance performance was held in front of the store. On the same evening, Ermanno Scervino unveiled his first capsule collection at a large-scale party at the Forte Belvedere. Furthermore, Pitti and online boutique The Corner.com hosted an installation titled "De' (MILLENNIALS) COSTUMI - Costumes for the Millennial Generation," curated by Florence-born Stefano Tonchi, editor-in-chief of US magazine W. Based on the 16th-century book "Galateo," written by Bishop della Casa, the installation presented a unique perspective on modern elegance for the Y generation, also known as "millennials." The selections on display were available for sale in real time on the website.
In addition, there were a series of films and events unravelling Italian fashion, including an advance screening of the film "Italie della Moda, Mani e mmenti eccellenti" (Director: Angelo Flaccavento), due for release this fall, and "E poi c'e Napoli" (Director: Gianluca Migliarotti), a film that tells the story of Neapolitan fashion culture featuring some of Naples' most renowned sartorialists, as well as a cocktail party.
Among the events was an open exhibition of "Italian Automobile Design of the 1950s and 1960s" from the Lopresto Collection, world-renowned for its collection of Italian car design from the golden age, delighting Italian car enthusiasts.
