Record number of visitors flocked to Pitti Uomo 87

Pitti Uomo 87 in Florence, Italy attracted a record number of visitors this season, becoming a "truly extraordinary edition of the world's leading men's fashion trade fair," according to the event organisers.

Nearly 24,000 buyers attended the winter edition, with a 15 percent increase from the over 20,800 buyers who attend the January edition in 2014. Foreign buyer attendance is predicted to account for 11 percent or 8,650 visitors, while the "Italian front" buyer group increased 17 percent. The total number of visitors attending the fair is estimated at 35,000 attendees.

"I repeat: a fantastic climate, and not only in terms of the weather," commented Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine. "This has been a more than encouraging edition of Pitti Uomo, an excellent start to the season marked by great confidence and optimism. These are the only words to describe this edition: a rise in attendance – not only among foreign buyers but also, I am very happy to say, among our own Italian buyers, which is a source of great satisfaction."

"There is no doubt that the record number of participating exhibitors – nearly 1,200 including those at Pitti W – was the basis for the attendance record we will reach with this edition. The credit for these results goes primarily to our exhibitions: with their incredible dedication to producing and presenting ever more creative and high quality collections, they are the true stars of the fair."

The highest number of foreign visitors came from Japan, followed by Germany, with an increase in visitors from nearly all European countries, including the UK, up 16 percent, Spain, up 17 percent and Portugal, up 45 percent. Buyer attendance from France, which reportedly has been a key market for Italian menswear over the past few seasons, rose by 35 percent.