Returning exhibitors and independent labels, international guests and the history of outerwear: what January’s edition has in store.
More than 700 brands have been announced, 44% of them from abroad: Pitti Uomo is beginning to take shape through the exhibitors bringing their Fall/Winter 2027–28 collections to Florence. From January 12 to 15, the Fortezza da Basso will host the 111th edition, under the theme “Pitti Goes Wild.” This invitation to step outside familiar conventions will acquire meaning above all at the stands, where each company will have to show its own interpretation of the male wardrobe.
Calvin Klein is among the newcomers, while Tommy Hilfiger confirms its presence in the Sala Ottagonale and the Cortile delle Monumentali. Gant, Belstaff, Ballantyne and Paltò are returning; Save The Duck and Rag & Bone are expanding their spaces. These names bring specific expectations, from American style to knitwear and the many approaches to outerwear. I am interested in seeing how these specialisms evolve: what remains recognizable, and where each brand chooses to make changes.
The guest events will also take the discussion beyond the Fortezza. Dunhill will be at Palazzo Corsini on January 14, while the previous day Kartik Kumra will present Kartik Research at the Museo Marino Marini. The British brand and the independent Indian label offer different perspectives on menswear and its relationship with their respective roots. Back at the Fortezza, in the Sala della Scherma, Raxxy will present an exploration of outerwear in which the construction of the down jacket meets geometry and architecture. Each of these three propositions deserves to be read in its own language, without trying to extract a single trend from them.
Among the new additions, I would also keep an eye on A New Wardrobe, the space on the top floor of the Padiglione Centrale dedicated to independent labels. For a trade show visitor, discovering a little-known name can be one of the best reasons to stop at a stand. But it takes a distinctive proposition and a sufficiently developed collection: the interest sparked by a single garment needs to be sustained by the rest of the wardrobe.
There is another event of particular interest to anyone who loves outerwear. Beams will bring “Expedition Club” to Florence, an exhibition built around Shigeru Kaneko’s research and vintage collection. Parkas allow us to read the history of clothing through practical needs: protection, warmth and freedom of movement. Looking at them alongside contemporary experiments can help distinguish solutions born of use from those introduced to change a garment’s appearance.
This is the variety I would like to find in January: companies with a discernible history, new names to discover and propositions different enough to make comparison worthwhile. The program already suggests several paths; it will be the exhibitors’ collections that give them substance.
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