Pitti Uomo, Milan Fashion Week Men herald highly international line-up

After London Fashion Week, Italy will become the home of menswear from Tuesday June 11. The men’s fashion marathon for Spring/Summer 2025 will continue first in Florence, with the Pitti Uomo show scheduled on June 11-14, then with Milan Fashion Week, on June 14-18. The latter promises to be an intense edition, with a host of designers and labels coming from London and Paris, such as Marine Serre, Pierre-Louis Mascia, Paul Smith, Martine Rose and Dunhill.
 

Pitti Uomo, the world’s premier menswear show, is set to welcome nearly 800 exhibitors, 43% of them hailing from outside Italy, and will feature many international events and projects, among them the ‘China Wave’ initiative, showcasing “the best in contemporary Chinese men’s fashion.” ‘China Wave’ is jointly organised with the China National Garment Association, and will present seven labels selected by the China International Fashion Fair: Valleyouth, KB Hong by K-Boxing, Raxxy, JDV, Fenggy, Blackhead and Keyone by Hattershub.

Emerging international designers will feature at Pitti Uomo in the ‘S Style’ section – back after a hiatus in January – showcasing 10 directional, up-and-coming sustainable labels: Buzigahill from Uganda, Caoimhe Dowling from Denmark/Ireland, Denzilpatrick from the UK, Guido Vera from Chile, Permu from China, Unsung Weavers from Greece, and four Italian labels, Domenico Orefice, Florania, Via Piave 33 and Tolo. 

The show’s 106th edition will feature again the J Quality Factory Brand Project, a celebration of Japanese craftsmanship excellence, and Scandinavian Manifesto, organised with Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF), a buoyant Danish trade show that will also be present in Milan with the CIFF Showrooms. Pitti Uomo will continue its partnership with Promas, the promotional office of French menswear, which will present, in collaboration with DEFI, 33 French labels at the Fortezza da Basso venue in Florence. Among them, established names like Blanco, Hartford and Eden Park are making way for a new generation of labels, such as Ouest Paris by designer Arthur Robert, and Valette Studio by Pierre-François Valette, both invited by Pitti Uomo for a second season.

French and British names to the fore

  
Pitti Uomo’s summer 2024 session will pay an unprecedented tribute to French creativity, inviting as guests of honour Marine Serre, who will show on the evening of June 12, and illustrator Pierre-Louis Mascia, who will stage his debut show the day after. On Tuesday 11, opening day, there will be a must-see special presentation by Paul Smith, who usually shows in Paris and is giving the French capital a miss this time.

 
Another British designer, Martine Rose, one of the Pitti Uomo stars in January 2023, will instead feature at Milan Fashion Week. She is joining the official calendar of Milano Moda Uomo, one of the many British labels included this season. The Jamaica-born designer is regarded as one of the most interesting new names in menswear, and will show on Sunday June 16, right after long-established British label Dunhill.
 
Dunhill, owned by Swiss luxury group Richemont, will be making its debut on the Milanese runways, under the aegis of Creative Director Simon Holloway, unveiling for the occasion his second collection. Martine Rose and Dunhill will show alongside another renowned British label, JW Anderson, a regular in Milan. As is JordanLuca, a London-based label that has been thriving in recent seasons. Another London Fashion Week regular, Georgian label David Koma, has opted for Milan to launch his men’s line, with a presentation scheduled on Saturday 15.
 
Otherwise, the programme of Milan Fashion Week Men is looking rather lightweight, with 20 physical shows (as opposed to 22 last season), including a double by Giorgio Armani, out of a total of 84 events, of which the majority will be presentations and special events. Added to these, four digital shows, comprising the maiden appearance by Chinese label Valleyouth, and a few off-calendar shows.
 
Besides Armani, the only other top Italian names showing their menswear in Milan are Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Fendi, Dsquared2, Zegna and Moschino. The latter will kick off proceedings on Friday June 14, with a come-back show presenting the first collection designed by new creative director Adrian Appiolaza.
 
Other established names on the calendar include Neil Barrett, Magliano, back in Milan after showing in Florence last winter, and MSGM by Massimo Giorgetti, which will fête its 15th anniversary with a co-ed show heralded as one of the week’s highlights.
 
Six labels are instead giving Milan Fashion Week a miss this edition: Stone Island, Federico Cina, Andersson Bell, the South Korean label by DoHun Kim that is dropping out after two seasons, Italian-Chinese label Pronounce, which staged its debut Italian show last season and has opted for a presentation this time, K-Way, a winter fashion week regular, and Philipp Plein.