Summer Escapism Defines Tailoring, Leisurewear at Pitti Uomo for Spring 2024
FLORENCE, Italy — Pitti Uomo is back, with full cachet.
That was the consensus among buyers attending the four-day summer edition of the menswear trade fair, which was packed with visitors and retailers, off-site events and the occasional downpour.
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A sense of freedom and escapism ran through the spring 2024 collections, with brands across categories reinterpreting their key codes and tropes with summer getaways and resort destinations in mind.
The trend resulted in plenty of short suits and linen-heavy collections defining a relaxed take on tailoring, and shirts traded for textured knits and chalky pastel tones that easily evoked images of picturesque seaside villages in the south of Italy or France.
Business-wise, companies are learning the importance of branding and building a lifestyle proposition. Single-category brands are adding more wardrobe-ready pieces and venturing into adjacent categories, aiming to compete with fashion juggernauts, be they luxury houses or fast-fashion giants.
“The international retail set feels fully represented here and the buzz among vendors is that Pitti Uomo is back. After a valiant post-pandemic run, the global menswear luxury trade show seems to have recaptured its crowds and cachet,” said Bruce Pask, senior men’s fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus. Impressed by the mix of established and up-and-coming names, he spotted linen, soft pastels and fine-gauge knits as among the standout trends.
“I think everyone was quite enthusiastic about being here,” echoed Raphaël Deray, buyer for men’s ready-to-wear luxury and designers, retail and e-commerce, at French department store Printemps, who noted how craftsmanship returned front and center in many of the collections.
“Spring forward” was how Reginald Christian, men’s fashion market manager at Saks, described the mood at the fair, where he spotted Young n Sang among the new names to watch.
“In the midst of unpredictable climates — economical and geographical — menswear continues to move forward in a way that ties the line between the return to timelessness we saw last season contrasted by a more expressive approach to dressing as people begin to take international vacations again,” said Jian DeLeon, men’s fashion director at Nordstrom, praising the Brunello Cucinelli collection, a buyers’ favorite, that summed up the season’s Mediterranean vibe.
“Cucinelli has been a highlight for us, as it keeps evolving and elevating its offer with new colors and fabrics,” said Chris Kyvetos, menswear buying director at Mytheresa.
Here, some of the top brands from the show.
Les Deux
Designer: Mathias H. Jensen
Inspiration: Already a favorite of the European workwear-loving generation of consumers, Danish brand Les Deux blended references to vintage Americana and ’90s streetwear for its spring collection, adding a minimalist twist that is core to the Scandi fashion pack. Its youth-centric fashion offering is hitting the U.S. this year with a first foray via Nordstrom, where easy pieces infused with a preppy edge are sure to gain American kids over. “We always try to make every single piece like something you bought just now but that you could have just as well bought years ago. It’s about making gear timeless but also make it relevant,” Jensen said.
Key styles: Hitting many of the season’s trends seen at the fair, the brand offered a cool Italian tapestry patterned trucker jacket and shorts combo, as well as soft bouclé textured polo shirts worn with unfussy drawstring pants. Channeling a nostalgic vibe core to the brand, it tossed in vintage-nodding collegiate pieces including logo-bearing baseball hats and varsity jackets.
Price range: The collection retails between $100 and $250.
Knt
Designer: Walter and Mariano De Matteis
Inspiration: Kiton’s brother label is steadily reaching maturity, expanding past the deconstructed suit that first helped define its menswear offering. Often trading their busy business life for weekend gateaways on the island of Procida with its postcard pastel-hued condos, the twins embedded touches of pink, turquoise and sunflower yellow worked on sportswear staples such as oversize hoodies and workwear-inspired bomber jackets. They said business is doing well across geographies, challenging them to keep up with the fast-paced landscape of frequent drops and fresh products. Cue a capsule collection with graphic artist Omar Hassan dropping in September as part of the spring collection.
Key styles: Striking a balance between the sport and dressy sides of the Knt range, the spring collection offered double-breasted lightweight suits bearing tone-on-tone micro patterns layered under bubblegum pink cotton washed bomber jackets, as well as gorpcore vests worn with sartorial pants for men ditching their blazers in favor of breezier options. Crisp and tactile overshirts and parkas made for the more casual component, flanked by leisure hoodies and sweat pants in a variety of pastel tones.
Price range: From 360 euros for T-shirts to 6,000 euros for overcoats with suits retailing between 5,100 euros and 7,500 euros.
Arena
Designer: In-house design team
Inspiration: A newcomer to Pitti Uomo, professional swimwear brand Arena is making a stronger push in the lifestyle segment, dropping its first full collection of beachwear and out-of-water apparel for spring. “The move answers a growing trend for cross-pollination between professional sportswear and premium fashion. We think this collection has all the right credentials to succeed, adding fashion equity and credential to Arena,” said deputy chief executive officer Giuseppe Musciacchio. Staying true to its high-tech DNA, Arena launched a collaboration with The Woolmark Company on swim shorts crafted from merino wool and recycled polyester and bearing tie-dye and watercolor patterns.
Key styles: The out-of-water apparel collection had a street-nodding flair, with sweats and T-shirts featuring subtle logos and writings, while nylon parkas and windbreakers offered performance-heavy, cool options for the outdoorsy pack, who might easily embrace the brand’s oversized tote and duffle bags for summer trips in the countryside. Further signaling Arena’s ambition toward a fashion clientele, the firm is debuting beachwear in collaboration with Marcelo Burlon County of Milan.
Price range: The Arena x The Woolmark Company beachwear retails for 180 euros, while the overall collection is priced at between 70 euros and 200 euros.
Pence 1979
Designer: In-house design team
Inspiration: Adding to its core denimwear, Pence 1979 is making a push toward a wardrobe-building offering, sharpening its focus on contemporary urban pieces with a twist. Menswear accounts for 50 percent of the business, said marketing and communication director Kajetana Orsini, and with new markets opening up, including the Dach region and South Korea, the company is making a branding move and defining a full-fledged fashion lexicon.
Key styles: Pin-striped blazers and distressed leather jackets with a rock-‘n’-roll vibe mingled with utilitarian Bermuda shorts matched with military green trenchcoats and work jackets. A camouflage-style print developed by Mantero Seta exclusively for the brand appeared on matching cargo pants and shirt ensembles, while denim came in light blue nuances splashed with artsy colorful brushstrokes.
Price range: N/A
Paul & Shark
Designer: In-house design team
Inspiration: Rebranding and rebooting have been the key business avenues for the label this year. Rooted in its love for the sea and sustainability, the label is softening its sailing undercurrent and adding more resortwear and a city vibe, potentially catering to a broader offering. As part of this push, Paul & Shark’s spring collection will also hit Milan Fashion Week on Friday with an event to unveil the Riviera capsule collection.
Key styles: The brand’s signature Typhoon technology, geared at the reduction of water and energy consumption, came in a Platinum version for spring, applied to the water-resistant, windbreaking and lightweight Save the Sea field jacket done in a dusty blue tone. It matched the overall washed, worn-in color palette, with slightly workwear-nodding carrot pants with side pockets done in chalky pink and matched to thick striped shirts — a strong seasonal trend at Pitti Uomo.
Price range: The collection retails between 180 euros for polo shirts and 2,000 euros for overcoats crafted from Loro Piana textiles.
Herno
Designer: In-house design team
Inspiration: The outerwear specialist advanced its total look offering for spring as part of its ambition, and business push, toward becoming a “global brand,” as president Claudio Marenzi put it. “We’re not aiming to lead customers toward a certain lifestyle…it’s just our vision and interpretation of fashion, clothing and manufacturing, as we control our entire supply chain,” he said. Embracing the easy-going attitude of younger customers, Herno is making an effort to court that age group while at the same time educating them on ditching streetwear-heavy garb in favor of casual and high-quality clothing.
Key styles: Oversize pleated chino pants were paired with technical silky trenchoats for young businessmen off-duty. In the office, they’d wear wrinkle-free suits, styled with comfy sweatpants and espadrilles, matched to quilted vests for early spring days. The color palette included all the key basics, such as khaki, black, navy, white and military green, with occasional colorful accents and a single pattern, the allover H logo, standing out in the overall solid lineup.
Price range: N/A
Piacenza 1733
Designer: Jan and Carlos
Inspiration: A jolt of colorful offbeat extravaganza permeated the spring collection, where Piacenza 1733’s knitwear prowess came to the fore aligning with the strong seasonal trend of textured knitwear. Organized over six blocks of color — blue, lilac, pink, lime green, light blue and orange — the collection hinged on the artsy mood that has been defining the company’s rtw since it resurrected it a few years ago.
Key styles: Linen and cotton ikat-patterned polo shirts, as well as 3D cable-knit cardigans with a tactile feel, mingled with featherlight diamond-knit crewnecks and guayabera-style knit shirts. Terrycloth linen and cotton cardigans as well as crocheted patchwork overshirts made for the most interesting takes on knitwear, providing a great summer alternative to woven outerwear.
Price range: Knit polo shirts starts at 250 euros while outerwear costs up to 1,200 euros.
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