Skolyx visits Pitti Uomo next week – learn about the history of the fair

The Pitti Uomo fair in Florence is perhaps the most important meeting place for people working in men's style. Known for all the "Pitti peacocks" who do their best to get in front of the lenses of street style photographers, Pitti Uomo is much more than that. Skolyx will be reporting from the fair next week, bringing you the people, the products and the news. We start today with a look at the history of the fair.

What is usually called the first Pitti Uomo (which in English becomes Pitti Man) was held back in 1952, when Giovanni Battista Giorgini, who belonged to one of Italy's most powerful families, invited people to a fashion show at their residence Villa Torrigiani. Called Italy's first luxury fashion show, it grew over the years and moved to the Sala Bianca, the white hall, of the Pitti Palace inside Florence, where the fair got its name. The official start of Pitti Uomo, however, is usually given as 1972, when it became the pure menswear show it has since become famous as.

In 1982, Pitti Uomo landed across town at the Fortezza da Basso, where it has remained, and its importance not only to Italy and Europe's menswear industry, but the entire world, has grown slowly but steadily over the years. In the 1990s it switched from only showcasing Italian fashion brands to also international, to bring together exhibitors from all over the world and attracting an even wider range of visitors.

Pitti visitors. Photo: Style du Monde

The international focus is what laid the groundwork for the huge success it has become. At its peak in the years before the pandemic hit, the 2019 winter edition (the fair is held twice a year) attracted nearly 10,000 buyers and industry professionals. In the last two years, the fair has either been cancelled or had smaller editions, but now the first "real" Pitti Uomo fair since Covid's arrival is expected, and large parts of the menswear world are once again will be gathering in Florence.

The focus for most visitors is the main fair where about half are international exhibitors, half are Italian, and it ranges from traditional classic menswear to streetwear, but the focus is on luxury, high-end producers and quality. After all, the group of "Pitti peacocks" who spend their days wandering back and forth at the entrance to Fortezza da Basso and hanging out on the wall outside are in the minority, most visitors are there to work. To meet brands they work with, place orders for the coming year, have meetings with others in the industry who are there, and so on. And in fact, there is almost as much activity going on elsewhere in Florence, with small mini-fairs where exhibitors who for one reason or another (usually financial) opt out of Pitti but are still in town with everyone else.

Shoes at the fair. Photo: AKA Studio - Collective (also top image)

We at Skolyx have been down several times at Pitti before, but this time we thought we'd take a bigger take on the fair that interests so many. We'll be reporting on the most interesting things from inside the exhibition halls, mainly in the shoe sector of course, but also on other things. We will be taking photos and meet many interesting people in the #menswear sphere, several will be interviewed for articles. And more.

So be sure to check out Skolyx.se next week for live reports, and more articles in the following weeks, for an insight into the 102nd edition of Pitti Uomo.