Pitti Immagine Uomo presented its latest guest designer Satoshi Kuwata of Setchu on Tuesday, as the giant Florentine salon announced the first green shoots of a recover in Italian menswear.

After several very difficult quarters in fashion generally, Pitti revealed Tuesday that total exports of Italian menswear rose 2.7% in the first six months of this year to over €5.5 billion, a significant break after several tough quarters. With foreign menswear imports down 10%, Italy’s fashion balance of payments is clearly on the mend.
 
“These are the first signs of a real renaissance, coming before an edition of Pitti which we believe will be one of the strongest in years,” stressed Pitti CEO Raffaello Napoleone, at a luncheon in Paris. Though not exactly raging, the menswear scene is at least smoldering, leading Pitti 107 to be given the theme of fire.

Napoleone also heralded Pitti’s latest guest designer Satoshi Kuwata of Setchu, the brilliant 2023 winner of the LVMH Prize for Young Designers. Though not exactly a kid, the 41-year-old Kuwata will stage his first-ever actual runway show in Pitti on Thursday, January 16.  The four-day salon, Pitti 107, runs from Tuesday, January 14 to Friday, 17 next year.
 
“I am overwhelmed to be part of Pitti. It’s such a vital event. And I really want our guests to enjoy a moment not just fashion but also culture and fun when they come to see my collection,” explained Kuwata. He will stage his evening show inside Biblioteca Nazionale, in part because of his obsession with books.
 
Born in Japan, Kuwata moved to London when he was 21, interning at famed Savile Row tailor Huntsman before studying at Central St Martin’s, where he devoted three-to-four hours daily to reading and learning in the fashion college’s library.
 
Kuwata will join MM6 Maison Margiela, the youth-orientated collection from the famed conceptual fashion Paris-based house Margiela, as a guest designer.
 
“We are very deeply honored to have been invited to be a guest of Pitti. It’s a unique form of collaboration,” enthused Daniel Sauge, managing director of MM6 Maison Margiela. The brand will stage a collection exclusively designed for Pitti.
 
“It will be a blend of show and presentation and something more,” smiled Sauge, who, however, declined to reveal the location of the event.

This next edition will feature some 780 exhibitors at Pitti 107, widely regarded as the most sophisticated salon in fashion. Pitti kick offs the international fashion season each year in early January. Its nerve center is Fortezza da Basso, a massive medieval fortress close to central Florence, which houses a wide array of menswear: classic bespoke tailoring; sartorial Italian marques; sporty chic; advanced outerwear; street chic; sustainable style and cool artisans.
 
The salon has always been marked for a weakness for wackily named sections like Fantastic Classic or Futuro Maschile. This season it’s I Go Out section will add a division entitled Knees Up Running, devoted to, well, running, and the jogging community, starring brands like Alex Zono, Kuta Distance L.AB, Raide Research; Soar and Tiempos.
 
One of the salon’s greatest strength is, of course, the unique beauty of the capital of the Renaissance, as brands staged presentations, installations, openings and cocktails in storied palazzos, villas and beneath breathtaking statues in storied settings.
 
Among the other key moments in January will be China Wave, a second showcase of Chinese designers; and Scandinavian Manifesto, a partnership with the Copenhagen fair CIFF which will include names like Arkk Copenhagen, Isnurh, Molebo, Rue de Tokyo and Woodbird.
 
There will also be a special focus on French creativity, supported by Promas French Menswear Fédèration and DEFI, featuring newer labels like Adn Paris, American Vintage, Armor Lux, Caleb Paris, Coltesse, Mouty and Noyoco.