“Forever young, I want to be forever young.
Do you really want to live forever, forever and ever”
– Alphaville, Forever Young

The 1984’s earworm signed by the German band Alphaville has turned into one of the new classics, an evergreen to be passed on from one generation to the other. How? Also thanks to its covers: from Jay Z to the One Direction, just to mentions some. Forever Young is actually forever young, forever young as Pitti Immagine Uomo! That came to my mind yesterday, while writing this piece. I saw again the edition n° 92 agenda: sound names of the international panorama along with emerging ones, revelations of the recent years and social phenomena, pure tradition and urban street style.

The event regenerates season by season, it follows trends and precedes them. It does it without betraying its nature and with the unchanged aim of exalting, season by season, the beautiful and the well-made, the best of the current fashion. “No age limit, no country limit: we are all young”, it’s F.Y!’s motto. Word sounding as a verse from the hit mentioned above. Words that embody the same soul of the show. Elements that seem to meet and interwine in a natural way, as in one of those elementary equations where if “a” is “b” and “b” is “c” then “a” is the same as “c”: least common denominator, to feel forever young.

THE NEW ONES’ ARMY

On the 14th and 15th of June the attention will be on them, the new (or almost new) levers.

They are four different talents who are showing us different ways to interpret the SS18.

Federico Curradi is starting the dance. He will be back at Pitti Uomo to present the preview of his own label’s men’s collection for SS18 and special event.

Wednesday, 14 June (9:30 a.m.) at the Museo Bardini.

JW Anderson – one of the London’s most innovative labels – will present the Italian debut showing his SS18 men’s collection on Wednesday, 14 June (7:00p.m.) at Villa La Pietra, a really extraordinary setting. “I am truly honored by this invitation to show at Pitti Uomo”, said Jonathan Anderson, founder and head director. “Florence, with its extraordinary beauty will be the perfect backdrop for my collection”.

Then, the collaboration continues between Pitti Immagine and the Japan Fashion Week Organization, a two-year partnership that aims at focusing on the most promising talents from the Japanese fashion scene. After Sulvam, the designer Yoshio Kubo will present his unique style with a fashion show.

Thursday, 15 June (12:00 p.m.) at Stazione Leopolda.

Last but not least, OFF-WHITE c/o VIRGIL ABLOH™ will present the menswear collection for SS18 along with a selection from the women’s pre-collection.

Thursday, 15 June at 9:00 p.m. at Piazza Pitti.

“It’s with great honor that I will be debuting my work as part of the Pitti Immagine Uomo 92. I recognize this platform amongst the most important arenas for recording fashion history over the years and it’s my goal to add a unique chapter to that story”, said Virgil Abloh, founder and head director.

A FASHION PROVOCATION

On Tuesday, June 13th, 2017, the opening day of the 92nd edition of Pitti Immagine Uomo, Il Museo Effimero della Moda (The Ephemeral Museum of Fashion) – produced by the Fondazione Pitti Immagine Discovery in collaboration with the Gallerie degli Uffizi and the Palais Galliera – will be inaugurated in the spaces of the Galleria del Costume of Palazzo Pitti. The exhibition is the second edition in a three-year program promoted by the Centro di Firenze per la Moda Italiana and the Gallerie degli Uffizi and is curated by Olivier Saillard. It will be open until October 22nd, 2017.

The peculiarity of The Ephemeral Museum lies in its novel conceptions of staging and thematic content. The exhibition, in eighteen rooms, will show nearly two hundred items – clothing and accessories – dating from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. For many, it will be the first time they are removed from their storage boxes, others will be exhibited for the last time before being put back into the archives because of their fragility. The clothes, punctuating each room’s theme, were brought back to light thanks to the wonderful work done by the restorers of the Galleria del Costume and the Palais Gallieria. They were created by the world’s most prestigious dressmakers and fashion ateliers, from Florence to Rome, Milan, Paris and New York, including the House of Worth; Mariano Fortuny Venice; Rosa Genoni; Atelier Emilio Schubert, Rome; Roberto Capucci, Maison Vionnet; Irene Galitzine, Rome; Elsa Schiaparelli; Jole Veneziani; Biki, Maison romana d’alta moda Carosa, Nina Ricci, Gianfranco Ferré and Christian Lacroix.

Contemporary fashions are also well represented with recent acquisitions by the Palais Galliera, shown for the first time here in Florence, and some items from the Palazzo Pitti collection. And the show includes a foray into the world of today’s fashions with selections from the latest collections by Gucci, Margiela, Bless, Fendi, Armani, Valentino, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, John Galliano and Lanvin.

The catalogue photographs were shot by artist Katerina Jebb.

FOREVER YOUNG, FOR SURE!

HUGO BOSS’ brand HUGO is set to make a big impact: the new SS18 collection will be presented at Manifattura Tabacchi on June 13 at =9:00 p.m. with a combined mens and womenswear fashion show.

“HUGO has always been our more progressive brand. We are very much looking forward to presenting the collection at the Pitti Uomo – one of the world’s most important platforms for men’s clothing and accessory collections”, said Ingo Wilts, CBO of HUGO BOSS. “It’s the ideal setting for showing innovations in fashion and for presenting the brand to a relevant audience of buyers and press”.

With its fashion-forward collections, HUGO targets an edgier and trend-conscious audience. Thus in its communication strategy, the brand focuses on online and social media activities to engage with digitally switched-on consumers. HUGO’s new digital-led advertising campaign, shot by photographer Harley Weir, features portraits of up-and-coming talents from the worlds of art, music, film and fashion. The faces of the campaign include musician Soko, model Anwar Hadid and entrepreneur Luka Sabbat who are all part of a generation whose lives are inextricably linked with digital.

WION?, THE FUTURE IS COMING

June 2017 will mark the ninth edition of WHO IS ON NEXT? UOMO, the scouting project produced by Fondazione Pitti Immagine Discovery, and sponsored by Pitti Immagine Uomo in cooperation with Altaroma and L’Uomo Vogue that seeks out new Italian talents in men’s fashions – or new names that produced their collections in Italy. As customary, the finalists’ collections are judged by an international panel of top buyers, fashion journalists and opinion makers.

The ninth edition’s finalists are: BAD DEAL, Magliano, MATTEOLAMANDINI, milano140, OMAR, SELFMADE by Gianfranco Villegas.

The finalists’ collections will be presented to the Pitti Uomo audience at the fair’s various sections in order to show off their creativity and styles to the best.

The winner will be announced on Tuesday, 13 June during the Pitti Immagine Uomo 92 opening ceremony in Palazzo Vecchio.

AUSTRALIAN COMBER

A doozy. The most promising names on the Australian fashion scene will be the protagonists of the GUEST NATION special project presented by the Fondazione Pitti Immagine Discovery and The Woolmark Company. Eight young Australian designers have been selected in conjunction with the Australian Fashion Chamber to present their collections at the Fortezza in the special Spazio Carra area (Main Pavilion – Lower Level).It is the first time that a project of this entity has involved Australian designers in an international fashion event.

The names: Chris Ran Lin, Commas, Double Rainbouu, Exinfinitas, Sener Besim, Strateas.Carlucci, P.E Nation, Ten Pieces.

FIRST VIEWS

Contemporary pillars in the accessories field, Christian Louboutin e Bally will introduce their collection in Florence for the first time.

The French designer is pleased to announce a one-of-a-kind project during the 92nd edition of Pitti Uomo.

On June 13th, 2017, the games as an engaging sporting event, held in a historic location in the centre of Florence, brings together eight competing teams from the four corners of the globe. Pitti guests will be invited to not only watch the tournament but also, should they wish, to participate in a series of masterclasses led by the spostsmen themselves.

“Florence to me has always been a city of leisure. For the first time, I am happy to mix leisure and the pleasure of my work there” says him.

Instead, the Swiss luxury brand will be present at Pitti Uomo, launching its SS18 retro sneaker collection. Bringing back the magic with the revival of its best sneaker styles over the past decades, Bally’s retro sneaker collection includes four replications of its most successful lace ups, from hip-hop era classics to smashing tennis shoes and sporty runners: The Competition, rose to recognition in the mid-1980s among rappers on the hip-hop scene, the Super Smash series of tennis shoes, Bally’s Galaxy runner, a shoe originally created for utility in 1988 and The 1974 Vita-Parcours.

Wednesday, 14 June (06:30 p.m.) at The Loft.

P.S. If those days you’re in Florence, I advice you to take a full day to visit Fortezza Da Basso, where the event will occur, and its 14 pavilions. Not to be lost, Unconventional, that will host a special project developed in cooperation with the Tokyo Fashion Award that will spotlight 6 talented Japanese designers, My Factory e TOUCH!… Trust me!

www.pittimmagine.com