Pitti Uomo: 96th edition - Slideshows | Monocle

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Fashion / Retail

Pitti Uomo: 96th edition

In this week’s scorching Florence heat, the menswear market presented its latest warm-weather wares at the spring/summer 2020 edition of Pitti Uomo. Pitti is a holistic event: as well as the main tradefair at the Fortezza da Basso, there were no-holds-barred runway shows by guest designers Salvatore Ferragamo, Givenchy and the artist Sterling Ruby in spectacular locations across town. But most business is done at the Fortezza: in halls swarming with buyers and editors from Europe, the US and Japan, brands unveiled the shirts, swimmers and seersucker suits that will be in shops nine months from now. There were plenty of relaxed matching jacket-and-trouser sets on display. It’s a refreshing alternative to streetwear that sits between formal and casual; most shoppers aren’t ready to return to double-breasted pinstripe suits just yet. Here are our top picks – get your wishlist ready for next summer.

Tom Àdam (France)

Tom Àdam Vitolins is the man behind this Parisian brand that produces no-frills, high-quality underwear and swimwear from sustainable materials. His smartly tailored products – modelled on the brand’s website by Vitolins and his father – are produced in Latvia, close to where Vitolins grew up. The boxer shorts are made from Italian shirt fabrics and the swim shorts from recycled plastics.
tomadam.fr

Prada/Woolmark (Italy/Australia)

Prada has joined forces with the trailblazing Australian wool firm on a new uniform for Italy’s America’s Cup sailing team. “We’ve known Prada for a long time,” says Stuart McCullough, managing director of Woolmark. “We thought it was a good opportunity to profile wool as a technical textile. We have wool being used in running, yoga and outdoor but we hadn’t done things in the area of aquatics, such as surfing and yachting.” Versions of the handsome steel-grey uniforms will be made available to the public.
woolmark.com
prada.com

De Bonne Facture (France)

“This jacket is inspired by a vintage French hunter’s jacket that I found at a secondhand shop full of hidden treasures next to my home in Paris,” says De Bonne Facture founder Debórah Neuberg. The original version was in waxed cotton but Neuberg’s version is made using an English cotton drill. Like all of De Bonne Facture’s products, it is made in France, this time in Châtillon sur Indre by the atelier Hervier Productions.
debonnefacture.fr

Portuguese Flannel (Portugal)

Porto-based brothers António and Manuel Magalhães make nicely fitting shirts in sunny colours and fun prints. These polo shirts are an homage to their late father António Manuel Magalhães. “They are inspired by a polo shirt our father bought in Italy during the 1970s,” they say. “He was working in textiles and travelled a lot to Italy, France and the US. When he passed away he left us a rich wardrobe with unique pieces. This item symbolises his legacy of ‘how to dress’.”
portugueseflannel.com

La Paz (Portugal)

Porto-based La Paz has expanded its footprint with a new shop in Lisbon, which opened this week and is furnished with fishermen’s equipment including nets and plastic pallets. Expect to find wearable pieces with a rugged ocean-inspired flair: chunky knits, T-shirts decorated with tiny fish illustrations and these pleated cotton trousers – ideal for summer nights.
lapaz.pt

Valstar (Italy)

Few can compete with Valstar when it comes to suede. This summer the historic Milanese brand presented shirts sewn from suede as fine and delicate as tissue paper in navy and deep green. This bomber jacket, meanwhile, is a new take on the brand’s famed Valstarino model; it’s made from leather that is dyed yellow before being painted red, giving the seams a pop of gold
valstar.it

Man 1924 (Spain)

There were plenty of relaxed suits at Pitti this season – a worker’s-style design in brown at Drake’s, Barena’s patchwork-effect version – but Man 1924 had some of the best. The Bilbao brand uses natural fabrics including Irish linen, English wool and Italian cotton-linen blends. Throw one of their two-pieces over a T-shirt and you’re good to go.
man1924.com

President’s (Italy)

President’s has created an elevated Italian take on the favourite US skater shoe: Vans. These natty kicks – dubbed Skate Pro 2 – are made in Italy from canvas and Nappa leather and come in a range of pastel shades. They’re a fun, youthful addition from Guido Biondi, creative director of the historic Florentine outfitter.
presidents7bell.com

The Gigi (Italy)

You can always count on The Gigi to liven things up. The brand’s smartly tailored jackets, trousers and knits offer a refreshing tonic to the glut of trainers and jeans while retaining a sense of playfulness. Its new summer collection features a “dusty 1970s” palette; these bold pleated shorts are a standout.
Thegigi.it

Brady (UK)

This 130-year-old UK company started out in the fishing and hunting industry before making a successful foray into fashion. The bag-maker is on a roll: in the past four years its sales have tripled and in January it was acquired by Japanese firm Boys Co. Its attractive, leather-accented bags are made by hand in a factory near Birmingham; it will open another nearby in July.
bradybags.co.uk

Barena (Italy)

Massimo Pigozzo’s latest collection for Barena features plenty of relaxed matching blazer-and-trouser combinations: one blue-and-white-striped set is made from a cotton-linen-metal blend that gives the suit a permanently wrinkled, insouciant look. For something a little more dressed-up, we recommend this boxy navy double-breasted number in viscose.
barenavenezia.com

Sease (Italy)

This Ellen blazer is made from breezy seersucker (with a linen lining) and comes with matching trousers. It’s a more casual, urban offering from Sease, a young Milanese brand that is quickly building a reputation as a master of stylish, high-performance outdoor kit made from sustainable materials.
sease.it

Finamore 1925 (Italy)

This storied Neapolitan shirtmaker has unveiled a new line of breezy chambray shirts perfect for the warmer months. Available in a range of sunny shades and stripes, the Original Chambray collection represents a more buttoned-down approach from a company known for its flawless handmade designs.
finamore.it

Lundi (France)

We were drawn to Lundi’s sleek leather carriers, from pint-sized toiletry bags to larger Voyager models, which eschew frills and prominent branding. The Parisian label’s 36 Hour Bag, which it says is ideal for overnight work trips, is made in northern Thailand from vegetable-tanned leather and has different compartments for your laptop, charger, notebook and clothes.
lundi-paris.com

Woolrich (Italy/Japan)

While walking us through Woolrich’s new summer collection, creative director Andrea Cané stressed the importance of manufacturing responsibly and being transparent with customers, telling them exactly what they are getting. Needless to say, the Italian-Japanese outerwear company’s latest line is filled with covetable pieces, including a letterbox-red jacket made from recycled fibres and this cheery canary-yellow parka made from waterproof Gore fabric.
woolrich.eu

Correspondents
Jamie Waters, Daphné Hézard
Photographer
Sara Magni

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