Never before had the Pitti Uomo menswear show featured so many superb stands and original installations. Exhibitors have not held back from investing heavily in order to welcome their clients as well as possible, and even pamper them. As this overview shows, exhibitors have vied in creativity, presenting striking, eye-catching stands that were impossible to miss.

As always, the central pavilion of the Fortezza da Basso, the venue hosting the world-leading menswear show until January 17, was the most visited. Luxury labels, especially the major Italian menswear names exhibiting in the show’s Fantastic Classic section, attract sizeable crowds. Notably, thriving cashmere label Brunello Cucinelli, whose stand extended over nearly 200 square metres, three times as large as those of most of its neighbours.

Many of the stands were decked out like lavish lounges or chic libraries, often with a catering corner, very popular with buyers. Like the stand by Swedish brand Eton, occupying the area at the bottom of the venue’s large central stairs, looking like a private apartment with various entrances and a busy bar, enlivened by a DJ on Wednesday to make the atmosphere even more convivial.

Pitti Uomo exhibitors have tried to replicate in their stands the warm, sophisticated environment that is most conducive to business, thanks to wood panelling, parquet-style floors, sofas, armchairs, coffee tables and rugs. Some of the settings were designed to fully convey the relevant brand’s identity. Mountains were a ubiquitous theme, with snowy peaks featured on huge screens. The world of sports was another theme, exemplified by some stands’ tennis club look, or the pétanque court reproduced by American Vintage.

It was a competition for the most engaging attraction: Tuscan brand l’Impermeabile hired for the occasion a cigar roller lady from local producer Manifatture Sigaro Toscano! Danish brand Gabba called on illustrator Kay Van Bellen, some of whose designs featured on its T-shirts, to sketch the stand’s visitors. Gabba pulled out all the stops, setting up in collaboration with Isko a bar shaped like a giant denim bag, where it offered its clients beers, chips, stickers and other gadgets.

The quirkiest stands were to be found in the Dynamic Attitude section. Sun68, the fast-growing casualwear brand by Venetian group Numero 8, literally invited visitors to ride on a London Underground train, with windows and bright-red sliding doors. Sustainable Italian sportswear label Keeling brought a corner of the tropical jungle to the Fortezza, in the form of large verdant plants.

The trophy for the most spectacular installation must go to Dutch denim brand G-Star, which set up rows of pairs of jeans standing across its entire stand, reflected to infinity by a set of mirrors. At the entrance of the G-Star stand, a food truck in the brand’s livery proved a draw for many visitors.

Two cutting-edge stands, by brands exhibiting at Pitti Uomo 107 for the first time, foreshadowed the fashion of the future, arousing much curiosity. In the first, FabriX installed large AR screens inside consoles shaped like white cocoons, showcasing the work of a digital platform set up in 2022 by the PMQ creative hub with the backing of the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency of the Government of Hong Kong (CCIDAHK, formerly Create HK). The consoles allowed visitors to virtually try out digital looks created this season by French brands Mii Collection and Ouest Paris, and Chinese brands Pronounce and Xander Zhou.

Close by, the ‘Beyond Tailoring’ project, promoted by Italian manufacturing group Pattern via its D-House laboratory and various partners, gave a glimpse of what an innovative supply chain for womenswear and menswear could look like in the near future. The stand showcased various cutting-edge technologies, such as 3D printing, an ultrasound sewing machine, heat-fusion welding, and more.