text: Pitti Uomo will be back in January with the same streamlined programme adopted in summer, but expects to increase its exhibitor numbers. “We should be able to have 600 exhibitors, as opposed to 348 in July. A super boost, considering the situation,” said Raffaello Napoleone, boss of organiser Pitti Immagine, speaking to FashionNetwork.com on Tuesday in Milan, at the presentation of the next edition of Pitti Uomo, the world’s leading menswear show, scheduled in Florence on January 11-13 2022.
  The programme of Pitti Uomo 101 was unveiled in Milan on Tuesday - ph Dominique Muret
  “We are very optimistic with regards to [the presence of] international industry professionals. Buyers from the world’s leading multibrand retailers and department stores are all going to attend,” added Napoleone. However, the show going ahead isn't a foregone conclusion, given that the health situation isn’t yet stabilised, with new Covid-19 outbreaks in many European countries.
  Pitti Uomo's organisers have opted for prudence and will feature again the “streamlined” show concept they tested last season, when Pitti Uomo staged its come-back physical session after being on hold for a year due to the pandemic. They are also planning to adopt the same health protection measures in place at the end of June, with six stations offering Covid testing and strict monitoring of all access, which will be possible only for Covid-pass holders.
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  As for the last edition, Pitti Immagine has scheduled its two top events - Pitti Uomo 101 and childrenswear show Pitti Bimbo 94 - together on the same dates and venue, the Fortezza da Basso, where exhibitors will showcase their Fall/Winter 2022-23 collections. The only changes are that the shows are again to be held at the beginning of the season, and will kick off a day earlier in the week, running from Tuesday to Thursday rather than Wednesday to Friday.
  Pitti Uomo believes this 101st edition can mark a new departure, and has chosen as seasonal theme and slogan the words ‘Pitti Reflections’, playing on the twin meaning of the verb ‘to reflect’, both mirroring and thinking. The focus will notably be on how the traditional men’s wardrobe has evolved, with its most classic items, suitably reinterpreted, making a remarkable come-back in-store. Hence the space allocated this season to the ‘Futuro Maschile’ section, focusing on “the most directional contemporary menswear,” which will be showcased over an area of 6,000 m2 in the Fortezza da Basso's central pavilion.
  ‘Futuro Maschile’ will be part of the ‘Fantastic Classic’ section, dedicated to formal wear, placed alongside two other key areas of Pitti Uomo: ‘Dynamic Attitude’, showcasing sportswear brands, and ‘Superstyling’, which will host emerging labels, with a specific sub-section called ‘Sustainable Style’ dedicated to young designers big on sustainability.
  A visual from the show’s last edition, Pitti Uomo 100 - DR
  Traditional menswear will take centre stage on the collateral events programme too, featuring among others a gala dinner for the show's opening organised by Brunello Cucinelli, a jazz evening organised by high-end label Caruso at a club in Florence, the presentation of KNT, an experimental line by Neapolitan tailoring label Kiton, and a special installation, a replica of a luxuriant winter garden, by Italian label Lardini.
  Worth mentioning, among the other labels presenting special projects, iconic British label Connolly, a leather specialist owned by Isabel Ettedgui, the intriguing British sustainable sportswear label by designer Christopher Raeburn, and long-established US brand Filson, which will fête its 125th anniversary and the launch of its distribution in Europe.
  Plus of course the guest of honour of Pitti Uomo 101, Ann Demeulemeester, the label that was bought last year by Milanese retail specialist Claudio Antonioli. Its presence will be marked by a special event on Wednesday January 12 at the Stazione Leopolda venue, with a presentation of archive models and looks from Ann Demeulemeester’s last two collections. The presentation will be accompanied by a musical performance, reportedly featuring several leading electro-pop names.