Brioni says farewell to traditional catwalk calendar

London - Italian luxury formalwear retailer Brioni has said goodbye to the traditional fashion week calendar and hello to the new 'see-now, buy-now' business model embraced by the likes of Burberry. Tom Ford and Vetements.

Friday saw Brioni announce plans to host its upcoming fashion show on July 4 in Paris during Paris Haute Couture while cancelling its usual men's wear show in June, in Milan. The show will mark the debut of new creative director Justin O'Shea, who was appointed earlier this year. The brand's spring 2017 collection, which was designed by the in-house team, will be presented to buyers at Brioni's showroom in Milan via appointment in May and June.

Brioni embraces a 'see-now, buy-model' business model of its own

#Brioni is pleased to announce the appointment of Justin O’Shea as new Creative Director. ‘I am deeply honored to undertake this new challenge for such prestigious and celebrated menswear house. It is with great excitement I am looking forward to write a new chapter in the story of Brioni.’ @justinoshea

A photo posted by Brioni (@brioni_official) on Mar 22, 2016 at 11:38pm PDT

The show has been linked to the grand reopening of Brioni's flagship store in Paris, as the luxury brand seeks to reposition it's made to measure business as the men's wear equivalent of made-to-order couture. Justin O'Shea first collection for the brand, which has been named "Paris One", seeks to pay tribute to the brand's "handmade prêt-a-couture heritage" and will focus the "new emphasis on the Brioni lifestyle offering," according to the brand.

Following the show in Paris, Brioni will offer special runway looks from the collection for sale through a series of private appointments at its flagship stores. The Italian luxury brand, which follows in the footsteps of stalemate brands at Kering, Gucci and Bottega Veneta stresses that new show marks the start of a different approach to showing for the brand and is not a one-off change. "We aren’t a fashion brand, so we don’t need to mimic fashion," said Gianluca Flore, chief executive of Brioni, on the new system to the New York Times. "We are a style brand, so we are going to follow the customers."

Brioni aims to host its following show in November in New York, which will coincide with the reopening of another flagship store. Both collections shown in July and November will be available for order after the shows and delivered to customers a few weeks after the events to maintain the turnover of stock. The Italian luxury brand also aims on combining its pre-collections and main collections and will offer both after the shows, moving away from selling four seasons a year to two.

At the moment, Brioni's business is equally divided between its own stores and wholesale, with revenues of approximately 180 million euros a year. But only time will tell if its calendar shake up will change this.

Photos: Brioni advertising campaign SS 16 and FW 16 collection, Brioni News