Pitti Uomo Cancels February Physical Edition
NO SHOW: It’s difficult to make plans in such unpredictable times, but Pitti Immagine has shown a resilient optimism in continuing to schedule its events over the past year.
Yet it has to change plans yet again. The physical edition of Pitti Uomo supposed to run Feb. 21 to 23 at the Fortezza da Basso location has been canceled, along with the Pitti Filati and Pitti Bimbo physical events dedicated to textile and children’s wear, respectively. They will all be replaced by digital showcases on the Pitti Connect platform.
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The decision to forego the physical editions came after a government order issued on Friday that extended to early March the suspension of physical trade shows in Italy, aiming to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
“In the last weeks, the probabilities to host the shows physically were clearly reducing but we decided to keep the door open to that option until the official confirmation of the suspension because we shared the strong desire of our exhibitors and buyers in wanting to meet each other in-person, even with all the doubts,” said Pitti Immagine’s chief executive officer Raffaello Napoleone.
As reported, when organizers revealed the dates of the physical trade shows in November, Pitti Uomo’s dates were already postponed by a month compared to the usual January slot. At the time, Pitti Filati and Pitti Bimbo were supposed to run simultaneously to the men’s wear event, but the textile trade show was later rescheduled to take place Feb. 8 to 10.
The Pitti Connect digital platform, which debuted last July as part of the organizers’ effort to make up for the cancelled physical shows, is currently hosting the Pitti Uomo Connect showcase. This kicked off on Jan. 12 by Brunello Cucinelli, who hosted a livestream from his company’s headquarters in Solomeo.
Content on Pitti Connect will be available until April to further encourage business opportunities between exhibitors and buyers.
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