Slideshows

Monocle’s unique global gathering for the sharpest minds in business.

The year is young but the menswear industry has already wrapped up one of its key events: the autumn/winter edition of Pitti Uomo. The menswear tradeshow, which took place this week in a crisp yet sunny Florence, is now in its 31st year and continues to occupy a unique place in the fashion world: it is by far the biggest and most impressive tradeshow, for men’s or womenswear. Some 30,000 buyers and editors flocked to the hallowed halls of the Fortezza da Basso and attended off-site runway shows by Jil Sander and Stefano Pilati’s young label Random Identities. Although official figures have yet to be released, according to fair CEO Raffaello Napoleone, this season there were increased buyer numbers from every nation except Russia and Italy. (The Italian market continues its decline when it comes to internal consumption of clothing.) Here are our Top 15 picks from the fair: these items will hit shops from August but now’s as good a time as any to start making your winter wishlist.

In this week’s scorching Florence heat, the menswear market presented its latest warm-weather wares at the spring/summer 2020 edition of Pitti Uomo. Pitti is a holistic event: as well as the main tradefair at the Fortezza da Basso, there were no-holds-barred runway shows by guest designers Salvatore Ferragamo, Givenchy and the artist Sterling Ruby in spectacular locations across town. But most business is done at the Fortezza: in halls swarming with buyers and editors from Europe, the US and Japan, brands unveiled the shirts, swimmers and seersucker suits that will be in shops nine months from now. There were plenty of relaxed matching jacket-and-trouser sets on display. It’s a refreshing alternative to streetwear that sits between formal and casual; most shoppers aren’t ready to return to double-breasted pinstripe suits just yet. Here are our top picks – get your wishlist ready for next summer.

The new year is young but the menswear crowd has already completed one of its most important events: the autumn/winter edition of Pitti Uomo. The pioneering Florentine menswear tradeshow, which ran this week, is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2019. Some 30,000 buyers and editors gathered in a sunny (if chilly) Florence to scour the hallowed halls of the Fortezza da Basso and attend special off-site runway shows from Parisian label Y/Project and new Italian brand Aldomariacamillo. Among the wares displayed by the 1,200-odd brands in the Fortezza, there was less chunky outerwear than in previous seasons – increasingly warm winters means that customers are more interested in layering – and plenty of earthy shades, merino knits and, of course, corduroy. Here are our Top 20 picks: these items will hit shops from August but now’s as good a time as ever to start making your winter wishlist.

This week the fashion world gathered in sunny Florence for the spring/summer 2019 edition of Pitti Uomo, the fêted menswear tradeshow. Things were a little different this time at the Fortezza da Basso. For one, where were all the Pitti Peacocks? These Italian men, who famously come dressed to the nines (in three-piece suits, top hats and the rest) and spend their days posing, were far less omnipresent than in previous seasons. Many attribute this to the fact that these dandies have finally embraced streetwear (that most ubiquitous of phenomena) and so were wearing trainers and hoodies, much like everyone else. There were other shifts, including a Scandinavian section and a stellar new hall (“I Go Out”) dedicated to outdoor gear. We scoured the stands and perused the 11 pavilions of the Fortezza in search of our new-season picks so you can start planning for your next summer jaunt.

The 93rd edition of Pitti Uomo, the menswear tradeshow in Florence, has been packed with stellar off-site events: Gucci Garden – a boutique, museum and restaurant – opened in a former palace and there have been shows from Brooks Brothers’ (to celebrate its 200th anniversary) and Japanese designers Undercover and Takahiromiyashita TheSoloist. That’s not to say that the fairgrounds of the Fortezza da Basso have been quiet. The autumn/winter season is always busier than spring/summer (which makes sense: there are more clothes to be worn in winter than in summer so the market is bigger) and Monocle has traversed the halls and sidestepped the peacocks to bring you our favourite finds.

As the thermometer hit 35C the menswear world flocked to Florence’s Fortezza da Basso for the spring/summer 2018 episode of Pitti Uomo. The summer edition is a slightly smaller affair than its winter counterpart (which makes sense: people wear more clothes in winter so that market is bigger) but this season the fortress’s halls had been given a fresh lick of paint and were teeming with buyers from Japan, Scandinavia, Italy and more. These are Monocle’s favourite finds.

Basking under the Milanese spring sun, visitors to Salone del Mobile enjoyed a particularly vivacious 56th edition of the world’s leading furniture fair. Here we unveil the event’s best design pieces.

January is a packed month in the design calendar: straight after Köln’s IMM, interiors trade show Maison & Objet opens in Parc des Expositions in Paris. Across its eight halls there’s space for thousands of companies of all sizes. That’s what this fair does best: showcasing emerging new brands as well as firm furniture favourites. Here’s our pick of the bunch.

Every year hundreds of brands and buyers congregate at IMM, the first international furniture fair of the year. Hosted at the Koelnmesse in the German city of Köln, this tradeshow sets the agenda for what’s to come and shines a light on the European market. We’ve toured its expansive halls and picked out a few favourites.

As the autumn/winter 2017 edition of Pitti Uomo draws to a close and the fashion pack heads north to Milan, we select our final five finds from the Fortezza da Basso.

Day two at Pitti Uomo means business. It’s traditionally the busiest day of the week as all the buyers have jetted into town by now and the hallways of the Fortezza da Basso are filled with lively chatter and natty threads. Here are our favourite finds.

A freezing Florence has welcomed the 91st edition of eminent menswear tradeshow Pitti Uomo; fortunately there is plenty to warm the cockles inside the Fortezza da Basso halls. Here are our picks from the first day of the fair.