All photos by Arianna Reggio
It’s not just well-tailored suits! Arianna catalogued some of the louder looks seen today at Pitti Uomo 91. Styleforum’s Pitti streetstyle will continue tomorrow, so make sure you follow along both here and on Instagram.
Tag Archives: pitti uomo
4 Important Takeaways from the Independent Retailers Symposium
On Tuesday evening, Arianna and I attended the Permanent Style x Plaza Uomo x Stendström’s (whew) event, part of which was the independent retailers symposium led by Simon Crompton of Permanent Style. On the panel were Mark Cho (The Armoury), Mats Klingberg (Trunk Clothiers), Anda Rowland (Anderson & Sheppard), Ethan Newton (Bryceland’s), Patrick Lof, aka @Leaves (Skoaktiebolaget), and George Wang (Brio). Despite the fact that most people in the room couldn’t tell what was going on thanks to the party that was going on behind us (there were drinks, after all), I stood close enough to the front that I could hear fairly well.
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- I managed to take one bad photo…
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- …thankfully, @Anden was on hand to one-up me.
You’ll note that, in addition to being some well-known names, all of these are brick and mortar stores. Their goods and online presences vary, but they are similar in that they all have a strong viewpoint and a devoted following.
- Brick and mortar is an advantage, rather than an outdated idea.
- Anda told us that a store can only be as valuable as its salespeople feel, and that the relationship between consumer and salesperson, and the knowledge a salesperson has of the product, is where things go very right or very wrong.
- Mark Cho compared what independent menswear retailers do to what boutique hotels do. He said that, really, they both operate within the hospitality industry.
- Ethan Newton told us that his store is an extension of himself, and an extension of the people that work within it.
- The internet works in tandem brick and mortar
- The refrain, repeated across almost all the retailers present, was that an internet store was good for in-person business, and that in-person visits were good for internet visits. Many shared stories of customers walking into the store to browse the merchandise, and completing the purchase online, or vice-versa. Mark Cho called this omni-channel approach to retail a positive thing, and the question is not whether it should exist, but how to best leverage it.
- Anda, at Anderson & Sheppard, said that they’ve seen particular utility in e-commerce as a way for established customers to buy multiples of an item they own and like – many men still want 5 of the same thing, perhaps in different colors.
- There is a give and take between store and client
- Stores are generally unsuccessful if they attempt to hard to push a vision that a client isn’t responding to (i.e. buying).
- Stores can easily lose their way if they respond only to what clients know they want to buy. There needs to be vision at the head of the retailer.
- Stores are brands unto themselves
- A good store, like a good brand, has personality – caring staff, knowledge of their product, and a story to tell. This is how retailers develop long-term, loyal clientele.
All in all, it was an interesting talk, albeit brief. It’s a pity it was so loud in the venue, as I would have liked the chance to ask a few more questions. What was most obvious about the group gathered was the passion devoted to both menswear and to retail, which made it seem equally obvious that the best prediction for the future of independent retailers is: “bright.”
Photos from Pitti Uomo 91: Day 1
All photos Andreas Klow
The Pittilogues: Pitti Uomo 91, Day 1
Since I flew to Florence from Denver, there was of course a Weed Bro on the plane who had Everything Figured Out. I was banished to the window seat (Lufthansa having somehow ruined my seating reservations), and therefore couldn’t escape from the lecture he gave the young german man sitting in the aisle. Car people just don’t know business, he’s told us, which is why he’s managed to disrupt the entire hail damage repair industry. He wanted to know what everyone did for work, and I was tempted to tell him that I was an ostrich wrangler.
Somehow it seemed like a fittingly absurd conversation to overhear on my way to Pitti 91, where there is an equal amount of absolute certainty about the rules of the fashion system with no demonstration that any of it is even real. My arrival in Italy was punctuated by a 10 hour layover in Frankfurt, which I spent wandering the Innenstadt and people-watching. I watched, for example, a couple flirting at the bar where I ate a truly humongous schnitzel. The boy was wearing cowboy boots with jeans tucked in. The girl was very, very drunk.
Listening to them flirt was fascinating. I took my time over a beer, wondering why we, as a people, seem to only be fascinated by the process of falling in love, and not what comes after. I’m thinking of this in part because of the incredibly trashy YA fantasy romance novels I spend every plane ride reading, but why do we lose interest once the “ILU’s” are traded? Why do we skip from puppy love to heartwarming wrinkled people, with no appreciation in between?
It’s maybe not the greatest metaphor, but I’m going to extend it to fashion anyway. We’re obsessed with the anticipation of what’s next, with the climactic experience of the purchase, and then – well, how many of us have lusted after a piece of clothing only for it to fade to obscurity once it’s in our wardrobe? Arianna, who is at Pitti with me, tells me that something about living in the US just makes her want to buy, buy, buy. And Pitti is very calculated to make you want to buy buy buy, as well – because I can walk into the Monitaly booth and say “I want to wear this head to toe,” then walk next door to De Bonne Facture and say the exact same thing.
Some quick snaps of De Bonne Facture at Pitti Uomo 91
This was a train of thought that continued to chug along through the haze of jet lag when I arrived at the airport for my flight to Florence – because I had forgotten how easy it is to spot the Pitti-goers, double-breasted and bearded just as they were the last time I made this trek; playing the game even at ten thirty PM in an airport.
It’s a bit awkward to realize that you recognize most of what everyone is wearing. There’s a Gray knit blazer. There’s an LBM casentino overcoat. An East Harbor Surplus down vest. Stone Island. Adidas. I wonder what the tarmac workers think of us as we climb the ladders to the aircraft, our strange parade of coats-draped over-trousers and bellicose lapels cutting a fine figure through the Frankfurt fog. And once arrived, we descend en masse in equal majesty; a riot of sparkly skull rings and undercuts and white sneakers and hoodies worn under overcoats. I wonder at the cumulative worth of the wardrobes contained within the luggage at the baggage carousel. It takes away the fun of things when it feels as though none of us have any imagination whatsoever.
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- Beautiufully soft Chamula knitwear
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- The wide span of Monitaly’s color options
Pitti, however, hides some gems. We’ll report back, but I do have some pressing thoughts:
- First of all, I can’t help but wonder how long it will take for the see now, buy now mindset to take over Pitti. Choya, a Japanese shirt maker, is taking MTM shirt measurements at their stand, and I can’t imagine they’re alone – or that other brands are far behind.
- It felt empty today, on the guest front. I’d be interested to see what the official numbers are.
- Hype rules all. Arianna and I went to the presentation of the new collaboration Liverano & Liverano x Roy Rogers denim, and I’ll be damned if I didn’t almost want a pair by the end. And I wondered, per bullet point 1, how many people would have thrown money at the stand hand they been allowed to take the jeans home.
- There are a lot of well-dressed people, proportional to the number that look, frankly, ridiculous.
- There are a lot of neat brands, too – perhaps it’s Arianna’s idealism that’s rubbing off on me, or perhaps I’ve somehow never noticed in the past, but some of the brands here are, well – they’re cool.
- Yasuto Kamoshita remains maybe the best-dressed man on the planet. Wish I’d taken a picture.
- The Italian way of eating lunch, in which you drink wine, eat tasty charcuterie, and talk for two hours, is much better than wolfing down whatever hellish fast food you can find while continuing to work, like we do in the states.
- Since I know some of you out there are just waiting for me to talk about how miserable I am – yeah, my feet are a little sore.
After all of that, we attended the Permanent Style x Plaza Uomo symposium event, where we saw some old friends. And tomorrow we’ll get into the full swing of things, with a day of fashion shows, parties, and lots of photos from the Fortezza. You’re following us on Instagram, right?
Pitti Uomo 91 Preview
Pitti Uomo is more than you can possibly grasp from looking at pictures online. Sure, it’s a peacock parade, and this receives an disproportionally large amount of the media attention that surronuds the fair. But then again, this is where you’re likely to meet anyone who’s anyone in the menswear business. As I look forward to returning for the 7th time, Pitti has begun to feel like a reunion of sorts. I’ve met a lot of people at the show who I now consider friends, although they are of course too numerous to name in this text without resorting to tedious name dropping. I think pictures speak louder than words in this instance.
… and that’s about a third of the people I’m looking forward to seeing again.
Although the crowds milling about inside the Fortezza da Basso are the butt of many jokes, being outside the fair gives you a chance to see some of the clothes that are on display inside the pavilions being worn by actual people. It’s also the place where some of the brands and makers who can’t afford a booth at the fair have a chance to showcase their clothing, shoes, and accessories by wearing them. I’ve met some of the finest craftsmen within their trade on the square outside of the main pavilion. So no, it’s not attended only by men and women who have found fame by dressing for an Instagram or tumblr audience – not that there is anything wrong with that, in my opinion.
There are a lot of people (I think around 50,000 attended the last time around), both outside and inside the pavilions. Some are there to get a chance to get a first glimpse of new collections, to see and perhaps buy some of the finest menswear in the world, and some are there to mainly to mingle. It’s a place where you can fully engage in menswear nerdery for several days in a row, either by talking about it in detail with other guys, or by studying the actual products. From what I’ve gathered from friends who are exhibiting at Pitti, the time is equally focused on making contacts for future sales, as it is on making sales during the days of exhibition.
Meeting people doesn’t stop when the fair closes down for the day. A lot of magazines, websites and brands host nighttime events. Some of the events that we never miss are Plaza Uomo’s (Swedish menswear magazine), Ign Joseph’s (shirt & accessories maker), Simon Crompton’s Symposium (this year luckily cohosted with Plaza Uomo) and a few others. I also try and squeeze in as many dinners as possible, because…you know, Italy. If you haven’t run into anyone by the time events and dinners end, you’ll have a 99% chance of meeting them at Caffe Gilli, in the historic center of Florence. I’m no big fan of Gilli’s overpriced drinks, rude staff, and cramped space, but I’ll probably find myself there at least 3 out of the 4 nights I’m in Florence.
While at the fair I generally don’t look at all the biggest or most well-known exhibitors. I can see their wares displayed in shop windows back home, and on every #menswear tumblr and Instagram account. For me, it’s more fun to venture into the exhibitors’ halls without too much of a schedule. I’m not there to buy (mainly), I’m there for inspiration, and to write about this for you guys.
Of course, makers such as Drake’s and Ring Jacket and other equally famous#menswear brands are super inspiring, and I will definitely look up their new collections, but for me it’s usually most rewarding to head into the makers section of Pitti. I always come back to this in all my trade show write-ups, but it’s where you’ll find the most new and small brands at Pitti. The ones who try out new and weird ideas, for better or for worse. It is never boring, though.
I also like to see new and inventive ideas mixed with traditional designs. A lot of the makers I often find myself talking to for the longest time are Japanese. Like Hybrid Sensor, for example, who integrate new, man-made high-functionality fibers into traditional tailoring. Of course, this is off-putting for a lot of traditionalists, but personally I’m quite interested in technical advancements in the making of classic clothing.
Other interesting exhibitors for me are:
Camoshita United Arrows – beautiful mix of Japanese austerity and Italian flair & tailoring.
Hestra – Swedish glove makers who offer bespoke gloves in all the most beautiful materials you can imagine.
Inis Meain – original knitwear from the island of Inis Meáin, off the coast of Ireland. Sounds romantic right? Their knitwear definitely reflects it.
La Portegna – Spanish leather artists, making some of the most beautiful leather goods around.
Le Loir En Papillon – the man behind the name, Mickael, has built his own little world consisting of beautiful and original accessories. All truly personal and quite tasteful.
Levi’s Made & Crafted – in my opinion, one of Levi’s most interesting collections at the moment.
Loic et Gil – yet another highly unique and interesting accessory maker.
Norwegian Rain – combining high tech materials with natural fibers, in both fashion forward and more traditional designs. Very Scandinavian friendly in downplayed colour schemes and clean designs.
Sastreria 91 – this is a family owned tailor and haberdashery store from Spain, owned by my dear friends Paul and Kat. They offer some truly original tailoring and accessories, all very true to their Spanish heritage.
Kat of Sastreria 91.
Sciamat – the Ricci brothers have really made an impact with their very recognizable house style. It’s a bit daring, but I find it quite inspiring.
TBD Eyewear – a company making handmade glasses, started by the always delightful Fabio Attanasio. They have made quite an impact in a short time. Not only because of Fabio’s #menswear fame, but also very much due to the clean and classic designs.
Viberg – classic workwear boots and casual shoes. What’s not to like?
All in all, I’m looking forward to a week without much sleep, but hopefully a week that leaves me with new inspiration, ideas and friends.
This year my fiancée can’t come along because of work, but I will try to do some coverage of the fair anyway, with @Anden doing some photography.
Erik is co-founder of EFV Clothing. You can find him on Instagram at @ErikMannby. If you’re attending Pitti Uomo 91 this January, let us know in the comments below!
Pitti Uomo: A Buyer’s Perspective
Mr. Kuhle goes to Firenze.
At this point you guys have probably read a hundred Pitti Uomo recaps. But I figured that I’m chime in with somewhat a different perspective: what it’s like to visit as a buyer, and a first-time Pitti attendant at that.
It’s huge.
Good lord. I’ve been to plenty of trade shows in my time, but never on this scale. Pitti Uomo is held in Florence’s Fortezza da Basso, a sprawling fortress complex that dates back to 1534. Without stopping, it would probably take at least 40 minutes just to walk the perimeter of the show. I’ve been to men’s shows before in NYC, Vegas, Germany, and Spain, but this one dwarfs them all.
The old main drag at Pitti.
You need to stay focused.
Trade shows are all about meeting people and putting names to faces. Most of my time is taken up with appointments for brands I already carry–for example, an Alden buy might take 2 hours, Southwick might take 90 minutes, etc. If you’re investing the time and money to fly to Italy, then you really need to make that investment worth it. That means getting there at the opening bell, keeping things tight and focused, and really trying to balance time spent in meetings with time spent looking for new brands and product. Pitti was the most difficult time-management in buying that I’ve ever dealt with.
The hardest items to buy, focuswise? Ties. Buying ties and scarves is hard as hell. There’s hundreds of fabrics and hundreds of designs in several colors apiece. Best to grab a strong-ass coffee and some water to stay well hydrated for those tie appointments.
Add a fresh bunch of Italian paisley... Scarf swatches.
Buying and attending are different experiences.
Before I went to Pitti, I had a cool idea. I would bring along my 1950s Leica M3 and shoot dazzling photos. Oh yeah; I got the lens cleaned and adjusted beforehand. I would make an entire photo gallery of 35mm pics of the “Pitti scene.” I’d have dozens of photographs of incredibly dapper Japanese guys and an overview of all my rounds there.
Wrong.
I had two and a half days at the show. The first day I spent 9 straight hours in the basement of one building, just moving from vendor to vendor. I didn’t get outside until dark and didn’t shoot a single photo with the Leica. Believe me, I was pretty envious of the #menswear Tumblr crew and the many pictures of them hanging out in the main square. When you’re buying at Pitti, you never really have time to appreciate all of the peacockery and happenings going on there. You obsessively look at product and slam a panini for lunch. Not that I’m complaining. An entire day of looking at shoes and sportcoats is a pretty damn good day for me. But buyers never really get to shoot street style photos and ogle the Brunello Cucinelli booth (unless you carry his line in your store).
Check ch-check check check check it out. Shirt swatches.
Pitti is a great resource for manufacturing.
There’s nothing better than talking with people who make things. There’s no BS, no showroom hustling, and no guy-who-just-got-the-account-6-days-ago-and-knows-jack-shit-about-what-he’s-selling. Meeting with manufacturers is a joy for me and it’s one of the best parts of my job. And Pitti is absolutely filled with small-scale manufacturers. I’m talking incredible artisan companies that you’d never find outside of Europe. There’s a robust domestic market in Europe in general and Italy in particular, so Pitti is dotted with small firms that just serve local shops and designers. You’d never know about them unless you go there, and you won’t find them there unless you really put the work into it. But I found a bunch of great stuff, and hopefully all of these contacts will bear some serious fruit come fall 2012.
Mike and team Carmina.
Knit samples.
Florence is pretty ace.
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Florence a few times before, and it’s a gorgeous city. In terms of trade show cities, it’s pretty close to the top of the heap. I love Cirque du Soleil shows and dinner buffets as much as the next man (editor’s note: Mike’s opinion on Cirque du Soleil is his own and does not reflect ours), but Florence has it all over Las Vegas. And the Fortezza da Basso will put a serious hurting on the Jacob Javits Center. It’s an inspiring place to visit, and touring the excellent menswear shops in the city will definitely put you in the right frame of mind. Of course, I don’t even have to mention how great the food, wine, and coffee is. It’s a small city, so you’ll run into friends and contacts easily. Overall, I had a wonderful time, and I’d whole-heartedly recommend Pitti Uomo to any other menswear buyers interested in expanding their assortment with some really unique collections and pieces.
The Arno.
Photos courtesy Mike Kuhle.
Finamore at Pitti Uomo
Finamore could rest on its old-world shirtmaker laurels (second oldest shirtmaker in Naples; more handsewing than Betsy Ross [more in the black labeled classica line than in sportier models]; renowned MTM program, fabric from top mills, etc., etc.) but at Pitti 81 chose instead to highlight its innovative side, with look-at-me fabrics and treatments, quilted snap-button shirts, and aggressive collars. I was surprised to see jackets alongside Finamore’s famous shirts; don’t yet know too much about the tailored goods, but we’re checking into it!
Checks and an excellent out of focus roll on the collar. (Apologies for shallow focus on these–it was dark in the depths of Pitti.)
Fina-floral.
The jackets were lightly tailored and used exceedingly soft fabrics. Accessories–ties and scarves–were top drawer as well.
The Italian-only Finamore rep REALLY wanted me to see the washed (but mostly dirtied) treatments on these quilted shirts. Interesting stuff.
Pane e Panno Casentino at Isaia
Standing around in Panno Casentino
One of the standout pieces for FW 2012 season was Isaia’s peaked lapel, camel topcoat in Panno Casentino fabric, the yarn of which, as was explained to me, is roughly brushed before looming, so that the dense woven fabric comes off the loom with a rough, pre-pilled, look.
The mark of Isaia
The Isaia crew had a great strategy. When you are being plied wine and really great food, including some some of the best pickled mushrooms in olive oil I’ve eaten in a while, you are going to inspect every piece very carefully, especially when the alternative were overpriced Italian “toast” sandwiches, essentially a single, thin, slice of meat between two pieces of bread. Even without all the help, I would still have noticed this piece, the texture of which immediately jumps out.
- Isaia had the best spread in at Pitti Uomo on Tuesday, January 10, at around 11 a.m.
Later in the day, we saw the fabric again in a green coat with a much more conservative cut and turnback cuffs at Liverano&Liverano. While Pete was busy talking to Taka in the back, Stephanie (the Styleforum sales rep) and I took a load off in some very comfortable chairs, and chatted with Mr. Liverano’s daughter, who had been working at the shop for 20 years. “My father told me, either I go to school, or I work. So I work. 20 years.” I suppose that it’s as good a way as any to choose a career, especially when your father is one of the foremost tailors in Florence.
Liverano & Liverano #ogflorence #turnbackcuffs #pannocasentino
She told us that Panno Casentino was a very famous material from Florence. It is known for its durability and natural water resistance. Tuscany being one of the cooler, wetter, regions in Italy, it’s nice to not be soaked. Very practical, and though Italy doesn’t really get winter except in the far north, I suppose that 50 degrees (F) would be cold enough for me to enjoy the awesome Italian tradition of a coffee and pastry eaten at the bar, in the late afternoon, while wearing my Panno Casentino coat.
The next day, we saw the same fabric in a coat from Our Legacy, a brand from Sweden, where clothing that holds up against winter is actually necessary. I suppose that this might be a microtrend in the making.
Firenze via Sweden in Firenze - Our Legacy
Florence, generally, part II.
General Pitti Theory #1: If you stand around and talk on your phone long enough, then some guys will take your picture.
Our Legacy knit caps.
One of the best new lines I saw all show was AR, the new house line from Aloha Rag. All made in Japan, basic but tweaked shapes and fabrics. And a Tsubouchi collaboration, exclusive to AR.
Joao of (top Portugal shop) Wrongweather and Stephanie and Fok of Styleforum.
Yuki Matsuda and colleague from Monitaly/Yuketen sporting a new wool fabric patterned after a briefly used Marine Corps fabric from the late 1930s.
Want Les Essentials De La Vie made-in-Japan wallet and notebook.
