Italy is about to get the menswear show season under way amid widespread uncertainty caused by the complex economic situation. On the agenda, two unmissable events: Pitti Uomo, scheduled on June 17-20 in Florence, and Milan Fashion Week Men, on June 20-24. This season more than ever, these two events dedicated to the 2026 Spring/Summer collections are relying on major international names to energise their programmes, with Issey Miyake and Paul Smith top of the bill.

Pitti Uomo’s 108th edition will showcase nearly 750 exhibitors, 43% of them from outside Italy, compared to 770 in January 2025 and 790 in June 2024, as well as a plethora of international events and initiatives. The stars of the show will include Tommy Hilfiger, returning to Florence after an eight-year absence with a new menswear project, and Homme Plissé Issey Miyake, the guest of honour.
 
Pitti Uomo is looking to generate fresh energy with no less than four guest designers, as opposed to two in January. Italian designer Niccolò Pasqualetti, South Korean label Post Archive Faction (PAF), and Children of Discordance, a Japanese label, will be showing alongside Issey Miyake.

A further spotlight on international design will be provided by the new Code Korea project, set up in partnership with the Korea Creative Content Agency; the presentations by the Scandinavian Manifesto collective, in partnership with Copenhagen’s CIFF trade show; J Quality, a section dedicated to Japanese craftsmanship; China Wave, showcasing the best of contemporary Chinese men’s fashion selected by the Chic trade show and China’s National Garment Association; and finally, a selection of Spanish labels promoted by ICEX. Not to mention the 25 French labels that will exhibit, most of them backed by Promas and French public body DEFI.
 
In its forthcoming summer session, Pitti Uomo will also focus on sport, simultaneously staging Becycle, the cycling industry event first introduced in June 2024. Cycling-related brands great and small will exhibit at Becycle, including Colnago, Passoni, Ashmei and Pas Normal Studios. Becycle will be part of the show’s entirely redesigned ‘I Go Out’ section on contemporary outdoor apparel and equipment.

This season’s edition of Milan Fashion Week Men will be rather low-key, clearly feeling the impact of the global geo-political and economic crisis. It will feature 81 events, including 44 presentations, 17 special events and 15 runway shows, plus five digital shows that will be streamed on the week’s final morning, on Tuesday, June 24. Only three among Italian fashion’s leading names will feature on the Milanese calendar this season: Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani and Prada, while Zegna will be showing in Dubai, and many other labels have opted to present their menswear collections with womenswear at the September fashion week.
 
Some emerging labels that have made their mark on the Milanese fashion landscape in recent years will also give this edition a miss, like Magliano, which is replacing its habitual show with a movie screening, JordanLuca, and Indian designer Dhruv Kapoor. Milan will however rely on four ‘new’ names to freshen up the calendar, starting with British label Paul Smith, which is quitting Paris this season to show at its Milanese showroom on June 21.
 
The other new entries on Milan’s menswear programme are Setchu by Japanese designer Satoshi Kuwata, winner of the 2023 LVMH Prize, which will kick off proceedings on Friday, June 20; long-standing Italian label Fiorucci, in the midst of a major relaunch; and Qasimi, the menswear label by Hoor Al Qasimi, originally from the UAE.

Two comebacks worth mentioning are those of Vivienne Westwood, which will stage a presentation, and Spanish designers Miguel Vieira and David Catalán, showing on Monday, June 23. The same day will end with the first runway show by French designer Emma Rowen Rose with her baroque-chic, made-in-Italy label Rowen Rose, which is set to launch a menswear line on this occasion.
 
Before passing the baton to Paris, Milan Fashion Week will be enlivened by a few big parties, including those celebrating Dsquared2’s 30th anniversary and Jacob Cohen’s 40th.