Foreign buyers up at Pitti Uomo

Italian menswear tradeshow Pitti Uomo has posted a 5 percent increase in foreign buyers at its 83rd edition showcasing collections for autumn/winter 2013, which ran from January 8 to 11. The tradeshow organisers, Pitti Immagine,

which also runs shows for womenswear and childrenswear, said that the number of international buyers at the show had increased from 7,400 last January to 7,800, despite the direct competition from London Collections: Men.

In total, the show welcomed 30,000 visitors, of which 20,450 were buyers, up from the 21,000 visitors who attended last year. The tradeshow also noted an increased presence from Russian, Japanese, Chinese, American, Turkish and South Korean buyers, as well as 2.5 percent increase in buyers from the UK.

Non-EU markets such as Japan continued to be a driving force; this edition saw the country send 876 buyers, more than any other country. However, despite the increase of foreign buyers, the number of Italian visitors was down by 7 percent to 12,800.

Commenting on the increase, Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Uomo, said: “The final figures are undoubtedly a positive sign for men’s fashion and for Made in Italy: at this time, foreign markets and, in particular, non-EU countries, are the driving force behind the fashion economy, so for us the 5 percent growth in foreign buyers was much more significant than the – predicted – drop in Italians.”

Napoleone, added: “With regard to foreign attendance, most European countries did well again in terms of buyer quality and absolute values. Particularly interesting and comforting were the attendance figures for Hong Kong (+5 percent), the number of buyers from Taiwan almost doubled, and the very good performances by Mexico, Brazil and some Middle Eastern countries."

The next edition of Pitti Uomo is scheduled to take place from June 18 to 21.