Despite a general slowdown in the fashion and luxury sectors, mainly due to the global geopolitical situation, the Florentine trade fair Pitti Uomo is defying the downturn and reaffirming its role as the leading event for menswear. The Pitti Immagine fair, focused entirely on menswear, will bring the Autumn/Winter 2026/27 collections of more than 700 brands to the Fortezza da Basso, 44% of which are from abroad. A packed calendar of events will accompany the 109th edition of the Florentine showcase, with fashion shows by Soshiotsuki, Hed Mayner, and Shinyakozuka, alongside the return or debut of 43 brands at the fair.

From January 13 to 16 2026, more than 700 brands will present their creations to a community comprising buyers from the most prestigious department stores, independent boutiques, research-driven retailers, concept stores (thanks to an intensive hosted buyers programme), and journalists from the international press.

The January show’s Motion theme and site-specific installation “Ancient/New Site” by French architect and sculptor Marc Leschelier will welcome visitors in the square in front of the Central Pavilion. The trade show has confirmed five sections — Fantastic Classic, Futuro Maschile, Dynamic Attitude, Superstyling, and I Go Out — ranging from classic to informal, via research and the outdoors. There will also be many new elements along the exhibition itinerary.

Prominent among them is HiBeauty, a special space dedicated exclusively to the world of niche perfumery. Located within the Futuro Maschile itinerary, it will host a selection of 10 independent brands, representative of a new wave that spans Europe and reaches as far as Asia. HiBeauty will feature an immersive set-up that exemplifies the cross-pollination between genres that clothing and concept stores around the world are increasingly exploring, and it stems from the experience of Fragranze, Pitti Immagine’s event dedicated to artistic perfumery and skincare research, “which in September recorded a 34% increase in buyers from all over the world,” recalled Antonio Cristaudo, Pitti Immagine’s commercial director.

“We will start with a very precise initial selection of 10 independent European and Asian skincare and fragrance brands with strong international distribution, on the Attico level of the Central Pavilion, in the Futuro Maschile area,” said Cristaudo. “[It is] an area set to grow, bringing beauty back to Pitti Uomo after the sporadic presence of a few beauty companies pre-Covid. Perhaps it was too early; now the time is ripe.”

“The Pitti team is very grateful to President De Matteis, who brings so much to the event thanks also to his travelling around the world, spotting innovations, trends and styles ahead of time,” continued Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine. “Abroad, we are carrying out various promotional programmes. We want to highlight creative resources, also because it is in the new that we find valuable momentum. We will stage eight more events around the world, after London yesterday and Milan today,” he revealed. “In addition, we are enhancing our digital communication to transmit to our entire global community (more than 100,000 on our mailing list) everything we do, our programmes, and more. The Pitti Motion theme was chosen precisely because movement is a necessary condition. When the body meets fashion, movement becomes style, identity, and narrative.”

Antonio De Matteis, President of Pitti Immagine, said, “We have now reached 109 editions of Pitti: a demonstration of how we have been at the centre of fashion worldwide for a very long time. The figures are positive: almost 740 exhibitors, 44% from abroad. The Motion theme also shows how our company is always on the move,” he recalled. “One of the new features will be the inclusion of the beauty area in January. We continue collaborations with Korea, Japan, and China: Pitti is one of the very few entities, perhaps the only one globally, with the ability to attract such an important number of buyers linked to the universe of menswear and to appeal to the entire world. I urge everyone to be positive.”

There are 43 new names or returns to the Tuscan international menswear showcase. These include Save the Duck, Berwich, Bogner, Final Draft, Gabriel Stunz, Glenover, Hestra, Hippy Realisti, Inis Meáin Ireland, Jott, Mackie, Mallet, Santha, Snow Peak, Wyeth, Bareen, Alpe Piano, and Taakk.

Among the highlights, WP Lavori in Corso will bring to the Fortezza the A/W 2026 collections of Baracuta, Barbour, BD Baggies, Spiewak, Filson, Universal Overall, and Blundstone, and, above all, the official launch of the Baracuta womenswear collection and a series of collaborations with leading names from the Japanese creative scene, as well as the Filson–Baracuta capsule, combining British heritage and outdoor functionality. Then, Roy Roger’s and Kappa present, in collaboration, a ski suit that fuses denim DNA with technical innovation.

Schneiders Salzburg, Austria’s historic Loden brand, founded 80 years ago, returns to Pitti Uomo on the eve of a relaunch on the global market, driven by its new owner, the Biella entrepreneur Giovanni Schneider (yes, that is his name — a curious coincidence, ed.). In Florence, the new Autumn/Winter 2026/27 collection will be presented which, under the creative direction of Viviana Volpicella, combines tradition and innovation, starting from the celebrated Loden and developing Shetland garments with check, tartan, and herringbone patterns.

Then, there is the Japanese sports giant Asics, which comes to the fair with a new product, Asics Walking, reinterpreting the concept of the classic shoe by pairing it with a technical sole, and the return to Pitti Uomo of Born to Standout, a small Korean brand acquired by L’Oréal, with a major presence. Meanwhile, the Dolce & Gabbana maison will strongly support Fabi, a storied Italian brand it acquired a few months ago, having so far used its factory to produce accessories. There is also news for Final Draft, a new distribution line and project launching right from Florence, and Sebago, a very much on-trend brand that is continuing to grow, now offering a total look and increasingly unisex collections.

Also arriving from Rio de Janeiro is the beachwear brand Frescobol Carioca, named after the famous beach game, introducing denim and evolving its knitwear and outerwear. Gabriel Stunz, a Franco-German designer with experience in iconic fashion houses, after being among the standouts of Paris Fashion Week, debuts at Pitti Uomo 109 with his eponymous brand, founded in 2011, presenting a collection dedicated to Manon Lescaut. Histores, the association that brings together 45 multi-brand retailers, returns to the Fortezza da Basso, consolidating its partnership with Pitti Immagine. On Tuesday, January 13, in the Limonaia of Villa Vittoria, it will take centre stage at an event created together with Pitti, and during the days of the fair at the Fortezza a capsule with Flower Mountain and a preview of other collaborations will be presented. Finally, the Danish brand Ecco will launch a preview of the Ecco.Kollektive collection, in collaboration with designer Craig Green and with the brand White Mountaineering.

Further news concerns Futuro Maschile, the section that — through research brands and international collaborations — showcases the latest in contemporary menswear: in January it will present itself in a new guise, designed by the architects of DWA – Design Studio, a multidisciplinary practice based in Milan, who have redesigned the spaces of the Attico level to highlight the section’s innovative scope.

The special events of Pitti Uomo 109 will first of all concern Guest Designer Soshi Otsuki, designer of the Japanese brand that bears his name. For the occasion, the winner of the LVMH Prize 2025 will present his unique style in a fashion show-event in Florence, Made in Japan filtered through the lens of Made in Italy, fusing tradition with modern sartorial art. The other guest designer is Hed Mayner, founder and creative director of the eponymous brand, who, with his conceptual, almost architectural approach, in open dialogue with the fluidity of the present, will stage a défilé in Florence in his unmistakable style. In addition, Shinyakozuka, a Tokyo-based designer known for his thoughtful approach to form and proportion, with highly original silhouettes often hand-painted or finished by the designer himself, will star in the fair’s Special Event: a fashion show in collaboration with Japan Fashion Week Organization. Shinyakozuka will also have an exhibition space within the Futuro Maschile section.

Two events, meanwhile, have been realised in direct collaboration with Pitti Immagine: Consinee, a Chinese leader in cashmere fibres and precious yarns, will appear with the site-specific installation “Echoes of Craft” curated by Sara Sozzani Maino together with Georgian designer Galib Gassanoff. Sebiro Sampo, a Made in Japan project launched by a group of six leading Japanese menswear companies, will stage in Florence the first promenade show in Europe, in collaboration with Vitale Barberis Canonico. The expression Sebiro Sampo comes from the union of the words suit and walk. Starting from the Fortezza da Basso, a sort of spontaneous parade of men who embody masculine elegance will take shape and — through the streets of the historic centre of Florence — bring their own vision of tailoring.

In addition, the Scandinavian Manifesto area, coordinated by CIFF, returns to Pitti Uomo, bringing the best of Nordic menswear to the Fortezza. It is the seventh edition for J∞Quality, the initiative promoting quality Japanese apparel curated by the Japan Apparel and Fashion Industry Association (JAFIC), with special consultancy from Hirofumi Kurino and art direction by Masato Koyama of HEUGN. Also returning, in the Hall of Nations, is the Japan Leather Showroom project led by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, which promotes sustainable production in Japan’s leather goods industry. In addition, for the second time CODE Korea will be at the Fortezza da Basso, with its special spotlight on contemporary creativity in fashion, design and cultural experiences from South Korea, born out of the collaboration between Pitti Immagine and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), while contemporary Chinese menswear returns to the Fortezza da Basso for the fourth time thanks to China Wave, a special area at Costruzioni Lorenesi resulting from the partnership between Pitti Uomo and the China National Garment Association.

Thanks to the collaboration with Promas French Menswear Fédération and DEFI, the organisation for the development of French menswear, which launched Promas LIST, a platform for direct dialogue between buyers and brands, the special focus on Made in France creativity also returns. The Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) supports the participation of a selection of Spanish menswear and lifestyle brands.

Highlights in the city include Andro Eradze’s exhibition “Bones of Tomorrow,” the Georgian artist’s first institutional solo show in Italy. The project brings together a selection of videos, photographs, and installations conceived specifically for two venues: the Project Space at Palazzo Strozzi and the former Teatro dell’Oriuolo, home of IED Florence (until January 25, 2026).