Pitti Uomo to Mark Several Milestones At January Edition

● Brioni, Chevignon and Woolrich will all celebrate birthdays at the show.

NEW YORK — There are going to be a lot of anniversaries celebrated at the next edition of Pitti Uomo.

The 97th edition of the Florence-based trade show, which will be held Jan. 7 to 10 at the Fortezza da Basso, will play host to everyone from Brioni and Chevignon to Woolrich as they celebrate milestone birthdays.

Brioni will be marking its 75th year at the fair with a special event curated by Olivier Saillard that will present the brand’s new fall collection through a special nod to its history. In addition, Chevignon is being relaunched on its

40th anniversary and will host a fashion show to introduce its direction while celebrating its past. Woolrich, which will be 190 years old in 2020, will create a “multifaceted universe” that celebrates the winter season and its long heritage. The show will also mark the debut of the brand’s Arctic Capsule, a special collection based on the Arctic parka.

Raffaello Napoleone, chief executive officer of Pitti Immagine, which owns the Pitti Uomo men’s show, provided the details during his biannual luncheon here on Friday. The theme of this year’s event is “Show Your Flags,” which is intended to reference how “every collection is like a flag,” he said, with distinct colors, fabrics and silhouettes. The theme will be brought to life with an installation at the Fortezza that will be designed by Alessandro Moradei and art-directed by Angelo Figus.

As reported, Pitti Uomo’s guest designer this season will be will Jil

Sander. Napoleone said this is especially poignant because the brand’s new design team of Lucie and Luke Meier actually met while they were attending Polimoda, the fashion school in Florence, and this will mark their return to the city with their collection.

Other guests will include Stefano Pilati with his independent label Random Identities, and Telfar Clemens, who will host a special event for his gender-neutral collection. Sergio Tacchini will host a retrospective of the brand and showcase the collection created by Dao-Yi Chow of Public School as its new global creative director.

Pitti Uomo will also show its sustainable side by creating Think

Green, a space inside the Lyceum that will showcase a variety of eco products and forums.

Napoleone ran through the state of the European apparel and textile industry, saying while the “internal market in Europe is weak,” exports of textile and apparel have increased in the first 10 months of the year. Textile exports overall rose 4.9 percent in the period, he said, while exports of apparel and textiles to America increased 10.3 percent. So while the market may seem weak in Italy and surrounding countries, the overall picture is bright, he said.