PITTI IMMAGINE UOMO 92 was held in Florence, Italy, for four days starting on June 13th. This trade fair for men's fashion, showcasing the 2018 Spring/Summer season and attracting buyers and press from around the world, underwent a major redesign in response to the rapidly changing market. Extensive changes to sections and booths were made, clearly demonstrating the event's commitment to restructuring the men's market.

The first thing visitors saw was a pop flower-motif wall art, symbolizing this year's theme, "BOOM, PITTI BLOOMS." Following on from the previous event, where toilet paper pop-up shops were set up throughout the venue, the entire venue was filled with colorful flower-themed merchandise, fresh flowers and fruit, and botanical trends.

In particular, this year's "TOUCH" zone, home to popular athleisure and outdoor brands, was experimentally relocated to the busiest area, adjacent to the entrance. Nanamica and Snow Peak were exhibiting from Japan. Snow Peak, making its second appearance at the event, was particularly popular for its water-repellent kimono coat, a collaboration with kimono maker YAMATO. The booth was constantly bustling with buyers and press members looking to try it on. Nanamica, already a Pitti Uomo regular with over 100 stores overseas and over 50 in Europe alone, said, "Due to the American casual fashion boom in Italy over the past few years, the outdoor brand market has largely settled down at existing retailers. Now, a tug-of-war with street brand shops has begun." This statement, symbolizing the current men's market, seems to be emblematic of the current situation. "UNCONVENTIONAL," which doubled in size from the previous area and is a consolidation of street-style luxury brands recommended by Pitti Uomo, was also exhibited by Japanese leather brand BACKLUSH. Additionally, six brands selected for the Tokyo Fashion Awards in collaboration with JFW (BED J.W. FORD, Chika Kisada, doublet, Roggykei, TAAKK, and YOHEI OHNO) decided to participate at short notice and set up booths.

The main pavilion was home to Pitti's most representative Italian Classico brands. In the basement of the pavilion, designers from Australia, this year's guest country, exhibited a booth. Former Italian Prime Minister Mattio Renzi visited the pavilion to celebrate the first full-scale international debut of a new generation brand from Australia, a booming market for Classico brands in recent years, highlighting the importance of this exhibition for the Italian fashion industry. Additionally, the new "MAKE" zone, which brings together artisanal modern craft products from around the world, is expected to become a key category for the exhibition in the future.

Pop-ups, including those showcasing Made in Italy accessories, were expanded more than ever, and Pitti Uomo headquarters' stance was clear, with the introduction of Italian Classico zones. However, due to the sluggish global luxury goods market, many exhibitors reported poor business negotiations. In response to market polarization, Classico has begun to implement a strategy since last year to offer lower-priced items aimed at millennials and high-end items, their specialty. Furthermore, there has been a noticeable trend to expand the range of items offered and promote the image of lifestyle brands. However, a characteristic of this season's fashion show seems to be a cautious buying process, with buyers from department stores and major specialty stores visiting showrooms in Milan and Paris after Pitti before returning to Italy.

According to organizers, the final attendance is expected to be the same as last year, at 30,000. Germany ranked first among international visitors. The top three countries are Japan, Spain, the UK, the Netherlands, China, France, Switzerland, Turkey, the US, South Korea, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Greece, Denmark, Poland and Canada. Since the event held in June last year recorded the highest number of visitors in the past 10 years, the number of Italian buyers is expected to decrease by 6-8%.

Detailed reports on shows from this year's official event, including J.W. Anderson, Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh and Hunting World, as well as snapshots from the venue, will be posted in due course.

Text: Tatsuya Noda