PITTI UOMO 109

From January 13 to 16, 2026, Florence returns to being the center of the men’s world. The Fortezza da Basso hosts the 109th edition of Pitti Immagine Uomo, where over seven hundred brands—almost half international—present their Fall/Winter 2026-27 collections. It’s not just a trade fair, but a collective narrative that changes every season. Today, more than ever, fashion seems to be questioning itself: who it is, and where it wants to go.

This year’s theme is Motion . It speaks of movement, of necessity, of life. Movement as an impulse to react when everything seems to slow down. Moving not to escape, but to stay alive. The installation Ancient/New Site by French artist Marc Leschelier embodies this idea, intertwining matter and space, past and future, like a breath passing through stone.

In a challenging economic climate, amid international tensions and uncertain markets, the message is clear: it’s not enough to resist, we must reinvent ourselves. Raffaello Napoleone, at the helm of Pitti Immagine, explained it simply: vision is needed, and vision is born from the encounter between intuition and reality. Totò De Matteis, president of the event and the driving force behind Kiton, added that change shouldn’t be waited for, but embraced. It’s a new way of understanding optimism: not as waiting, but as action.

The global slowdown isn’t erasing fashion’s vitality; it’s shifting it elsewhere. Matteo Zoppas, president of ICE, calls it a “two-speed” sector: some are struggling, others are innovating. Exports fell 4% in 2024, but the numbers only serve to remind us that fashion needs to get back to what it does best: imagining, creating, and surprising.

Among the most anticipated innovations is Hi-Beauty , the space that opens up designer perfumery to the male public. Ten independent brands, selected from Europe and Asia, convey a different idea of beauty: no longer an accessory, but a language. Perfume becomes a story, an identity, a state of mind. It’s a sign of the times: fashion no longer simply dresses, but interprets.

On the creative front, Pitti confirms its role as a radar. This edition’s Guest Designers are Soshiotsuki and Hed Mayner; alongside them is Shinyakozuka, in collaboration with the Japan Fashion Week Organization. And then there are the big returns: Save The Duck, Roy Roger’s, Kappa, Sebago, Barbour, Filson, and Schneiders Salzburg. All, in their own way, continue the dialogue between tradition and innovation, between craft and vision. Sportswear is also evolving: Asics presents Asics Walking , the shoe that combines a classic shape with technical materials.

More than a showcase, this edition is a laboratory of possibility. Behind the collections, a question of meaning is felt: how can fashion rediscover desire? How can we return to narrating time, not just chasing it? Perhaps the answer lies right here, in movement. In the courage to embrace uncertainty, to change pace, to seek balance rather than stability.

And Florence, once again, becomes its heartbeat. The city that welcomes, observes, and revitalizes. Because even when the world slows down, fashion—like music—always finds a new moment to stay alive.

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