Pitti and MFWM: Milan gears up for a jam-packed SS24 menswear season

As the fashion week season swiftly approaches, Milan is beginning to prepare for its always anticipated menswear events, with a string of occasions that offer up notable debuts, long-awaited comebacks and an exploration of alternating categories.

Kicking off the season will be Pitti Uomo, set to be held between June 13 to 16. For its 104th edition, the trade show will be taking on the theme ‘Pitti Games’, a concept that will span across all of Pitti Immagine’s fairs this season, and has been developed under the creative direction of Angelo Figus.

In a release Agostino Poletto, general manager for Pitti Immagine, said that the theme “well espouses the climate of optimism” that Pitti is aiming to encapsulate at its fairs. Poletto continued: “For this reason, we tried to imagine the Pitti fairs like a big games table on which to enjoy ourselves, but also on which to stake everything, backing ourselves and our strategy, considering our opponents and partners, leaving our comfort zone, taking some risks, being individualists or playing as a team.”

As always, Pitti Uomo will also be welcoming a guest designer, who for this season was unveiled to be Eli Russell Linnetz. The Californian designer and founder of ERL label will stage his show at the Fortezza da Basso on June 15, following the theme of ‘Make Believe’. Speaking on his plans, Linnetz remained secretive, but did share that the base of the show would be centred around storytelling and imagination, while he also noted that he worked alongside artisans from his hometown of Venice Beach as well as local Italian creatives to prepare for the event.

A notable expansion at this year’s Pitti Uomo is that of its I Go Out section, dedicated to international brands, which the organisation said was “becoming even more diverse”. Among the additions will be that of an installation by Swiss designer Sebastiano Tosi, while i-Mesh will present a technical and sustainable fabric. Its outdoor space at Fortezza da Basso will also be expanded, showcasing new variations of outdoor activities alongside curated outfits and accessories.

This year’s Pitti will further be home to S|Style, the trade show’s own-brand platform where 10 international brands selected by journalist Giorgia Cantarini will be present. Each participant will showcase their collections that utilised low-impact materials provided by the initiative’s newest partner, Kering’s Material Innovation Lab. Now in its seventh edition, the exhibition will include sustainable solutions explored by the likes of India’s Dhruv Kapoor, France’s Jeanne Friot, UK-based Permu and South Korea’s Young n Sang, among others.

Valentino and Neil Barret return to Milan Fashion Week Men’s

Alongside Pitti, the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) has also unveiled its calendar for Milan Fashion Week Men’s (MFWM) for the spring/summer 2024 season, with a range of comebacks and debuts setting the premise for the event. Scheduled immediately after Pitti wraps, from June 16 to 20, the fashion week boasts a schedule of 22 physical runways, five digital fashion shows, 30 presentations, four appointment presentations and 12 events.

The occasion will start off with a bang, as Valentino returns to Milan to present its first standalone menswear show in three years for The Narratives Collection. The Italian fashion house will open the event on June 16 at 12pm, while the fashion show calendar will close with a physical event by Zegna on June 19. Other notable fashion house’s on the calendar include Gucci, Dsquared2, Dolce & Gabbana, JW Anderson and Giorgio Armani.

Among the first time participants are that of Andersson Bell, who will take to the runway for a Milan debut, while Mcm, Satchu, Maison Laponte, Marcello Pipitone, Maccapani and Skin of Nature will hold their first presentations. Ralph Lauren Purple will also be returning to the presentation calendar, while Neil Barrett is set to make a fashion show comeback.

For this edition, MFWM will be streamed via a dedicated platform, where it will be possible to further access virtual showrooms that will continue to remain active after the fashion week has concluded. Additional streaming partners Tencent Video and Asahi Shimbun will further expand the event’s reach into China and Japan, respectively.

Alongside MFWM, the Fashion Film Festival Milano (FFFMilano) will also be taking place from June 12 to 19, celebrating its ninth edition and held in collaboration with CNMI.