‘I’ve never bought anything because it’s fashionable’ – Pitti CEO on dressing the part
Presiding over Pitti Immagine Uomo since 1995 is the affable Raffaello Napoleone. As CEO, he oversees the trade fair’s organisation and ensures its continuing relevance in Italy and beyond. He tells us more about evolving Pitti Uomo and his approach when it comes to personal style.
How do you make sure that Pitti Uomo stays relevant within the industry?
By being curious. Like everything else in life, if you want to maintain a position, you can’t rely on previous results. Season after season, fashion is a sensitive thermometer of social evolutions. The companies that are performing the best at the moment, generally speaking, are the ones that offer clothes that can perform and accompany the way that you move through your life. For example, I travel through cities by motorbike because it’s faster. Then, as an organisation, we keep track of what is becoming mainstream but also what is changing within the mainstream, from colours to the way that clothes are cut. We travel around the world 12 months a year to keep up to date. This is why Pitti continues to play a major role in the industry, because if you want to understand where fashion is going, especially when the market is difficult like it is now, you have to pass through Florence because it’s a completely different approach to the messages that are transmitted at fashion shows. A fashion show is one designer’s opinion; here you see hundreds of companies at once, from small brands to big names.
How do you achieve a balance between championing Italy while remaining a leading international fair?
This year, 53 per cent of the participating brands are Italian and the rest are from around the world. We’re in Florence, where Italian fashion was born. The city became rich from textiles [in the 12th century]. There are deep historic roots here: we have yarn production, tanneries, handmade craft. This has been passed down from one generation to the next. This manufacturing tradition now means that we have a deep relationship with, for example, Japanese brands that are close to the Italian concept of menswear. Chinese brands are producing their clothes in Prato now and using Italian fabrics. We’ve welcomed guest designers from Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto to Jean Paul Gaultier and Donna Karan. We invited Vivienne Westwood to relaunch her brand here after she parted ways with Malcolm McLaren. Raf Simons has exhibited with us three times. For brands it’s an imprimatur to come to Pitti. For anyone looking to understand menswear fashion, you have to pass through Florence. There are retailers and suppliers but also an international community that revolves around menswear.
What rules do you follow when it comes to your own wardrobe?
I’m 71. I was born in 1954. I’ve been dressing the same every day for a long time. I like velvet and a sariana in the summer because it has pockets. I’ve never really felt like a fashion person. I just dress in a way that is comfortable and suits my lifestyle. I’ve never bought anything because it’s fashionable. I have a personal tailor in Rome who is now quite old but I have enough suits for the foreseeable future – as long as I don’t change my figure, so I walk and play tennis and golf.
