Held at the Fortezza da Basso from 16-19 June 2026, the 110th edition of Pitti Uomo brought together 740 collections including 45 from the UK, spanning tailoring, sportswear, footwear, accessories and lifestyle, providing the international industry with the traditional starting point for the Spring/Summer 2027 selling season.
According to Pitti Immagine’s official figures, attendance exceeded 11,000 buyers and more than 14,000 visitors overall, underlining the continuing strength of the exhibition despite difficult market conditions.
Antonio De Matteis, President of Pitti Immagine, described the edition as "solid", highlighting the quality of both Italian and international buyers and noting that exhibitors had expressed satisfaction with the level of business conducted throughout the four-day event. Notwithstanding this, the show faces a number of longer-term challenges including slowing consumer demand, geopolitical tensions and continuing pressure on wholesale retail which mean that Pitti Uomo feels the acute need to position itself as the menswear industry's meeting place for business, creativity and international networking. To address this, Pitti has a new CEO, Ivano Cauli, who is expected to make greater use of technology and AI to attract new markets and buyers to the show.
UK brands maintain a strong presence at Pitti Uomo
The United Kingdom again represented one of the largest international country groups at the exhibition after Italy and France. UKFT organised the British group as part of its Discover British Brands campaign with a stand in Salone M, supported by the UK Department for International Trade.
The UK group saw an increase compared with the previous Spring/Summer show with returning brands including Babette Wasserman, Baracuta, Barbour, Beorma, Carl Friedrik, Charles Tyrwhitt, Joesph Cheaney, Crockett & Jones, Croots England, Douglas Hayward, Edward Green, Elizabeth Parker, Hardy & Parsons, Harris Wharf London, Invertère, Jamieson’s of Shetland, John Smedley, Loake, Lock & Co Hatters, Mackintosh, Mallet, Mou, Original Penguin, Orlebar Brown, Oscar Deen, Pampeano, Sanders, Superdry, Tateossian London (and Tateossian for Lamborghini), Thomas Pink, Walker Slater, Wax London and Weekend Offender. New and returning exhibitors for June included: Discothèque, Griffin, Private White VC, Rules of Faith, Seeing Red, Walsh and Zyphor. Simone Rocha was the UK special guest catwalk designer this season.
The UK brands reinforced Britain's reputation for quality manufacturing, heritage craftsmanship and contemporary design, attracting buyers from Europe, Asia, North America and the Middle East. The Discover British Brands initiative has become an established feature of Pitti Uomo, helping independent British companies access international wholesale opportunities while strengthening the UK's profile within one of the world's most influential menswear exhibitions.
This season, there were a number of logistical issues around the show, including the launch of the new digital e-ATA Carnet. As UKFT had predicted, whilst UK customs were enthusiastic supporters of the new digital version, companies arriving with samples in the EU were asked for the paper version. UKFT had previously advised companies toensure that they had both the digital and the paper versions ready, which were available through UKFT’s discounted service provided by Birmingham Chamber. At the show, there were lots of conversations about the US CPSC e-filing changes from 8 July, increasing protectionism from the US and the EU in particular and the broader state of world economy.
Exhibitor reactions and the business outlook
British exhibitors generally reported satisfactory levels of buyer engagement throughout the first three days of the exhibition, with appointments involving established customers and new international stockists. The last day, as always, was exceptionally quiet promoting exhibitors to call for a three day show for the summer.
The summer edition is always quieter for UK exhibitors than the winter. Italian buyers and agents increasingly avoid staying overnight in Florence’s peak-season pricing, leading many to day trip from as far as Milan and Rome. International buyers were very much in evidence on the first two days of the show before moving on to Milan and Paris on Thursday.
Buyers from established European markets were joined by strong representation from across the EU, North America, Japan, South Korea and the Gulf, while exhibitors also reported growing interest from emerging markets seeking premium British and European brands.
The majority of British exhibitors said the show had exceeded their expectations, but that business remained challenging with a number of important markets for the UK including Japan and Korea struggling. This was not consistent across the group. One company, a regular exhibitor, said it had placed no orders at all, describing the event as a disappointing show for them.
The US was reported as being buoyant although many US buyers were reported to be focussing more on Paris men’s and pre- this season. Saks Global buyers were in evidence, having exited Chapter 11 and rebranded as Exemplar Luxury Group. UKFT saw its main Japanese buyers at the show. There were encouraging signs of continued business from the Middle East despite ongoing conflicts in that part of the world.
Whilst the overall mood of UK exhibitors was generally optimistic, for the longer-term UK exhibitors are increasingly aware of the risk of disruption to business due to US and EU protectionism, ongoing challenges posed by Brexit and the increasingly tough economic climate. Some pointed to the increasing importance of Paris for designer and casualwear collections, especially for US and Asian buyers and the increasingly early departure of those buyers on Thursday for Milan or Paris.
Exhibitor feedback
Nicole Lawson representing John Smedley said: “The Pitti Uomo show is always positive for us. Although visitors to our stand for SS27 were 20% down, we still saw the customers we needed to see. Pitti Uomo is not just a meet and greet show for us. We are also writing orders, some of which are large, with customers we only see in Florence. This season also provided an opportunity to reconnect with customers we had not worked with for some seasons showing renewed interest in the brand, which we expect will result in new business”
Aldo Acchiardi of Harris Wharf London said: “Pitti Uomo was more upbeat than last summer, but it is still behind the successful 2023 and 2024 summer editions. We hope the positivity this season continues but the fair needs to find a more agile format. As an EU manufacturing brand, we are waiting to see whether the EU-Mercosur trade deal unlocks those new markets as they would be prime targets for us for spring summer 2028.”
Andreas Struijk, representing Walker Slater said: “Although footfall was lower than usual this summer, the show did have its busy moments with a lot of European customers, particularly Italians, but fewer US buyers. We met some new potential customers who would not have found us otherwise.”
Robert Tateossian of Tateossian London said: “Pitti went generally well for us. We saw our regular clients and met a few new ones. Most of our clients have had a had a good season selling our products and were looking to place orders on new items. There was caution and conservatism in the buying. It was a good atmosphere as Pitti always is.”
Simon Tennant of Sanders said: “We returned to Pitti Uomo for SS27 and were pleased to see some positive changes at the show both in layout and support. We looked forward to seeing customers and friends alike from all over the world and we were not disappointed. As Pitti Uomo is the first show on the calendar, it allows us to have a good guide to the mood of the market from the very start and based on this show we are looking forward to a good Spring/ Summer season.”
Alex Simpson of Beorma said: “The show this year was fantastic for us, it was by far our busiest yet; both meetings we sent out prior but also organic traffic, the new collection really seemed to hit the mark. We had buyers from all over the world and have real interest from our usual Japan market but also America, Singapore and lots of Europe. The feeling in general was very positive with new buyers expressing an interest in stocking us. I felt that the show in general felt significantly more positive."
Looking ahead
While global trading conditions remain unpredictable, the June 2026 edition of Pitti Uomo delivered meaningful business opportunities for international and most (not all) UK exhibitors.
For British companies in particular, the show remains one of the industry's most effective platforms for developing luxury and classic menswear, footwear and accessories business and strengthening relationships with buyers and agents from around the world. Buyers remain willing to travel for quality product, distinctive design and meaningful commercial relationships. For the British brands exhibiting in Florence, the message was clear: international demand for well-designed, well-made products remains resilient when supported by the right platform and the right partners but the business faces a number of major challenges due to increased protectionism, excessive regulatory burdens and an unstable world economy.
Paul Alger MBE, International Business Director at UKFT said: “The UK group at Pitti Uomo has reported a generally successful show this season. Buyers appear to be factoring in a resolution of the Middle East conflict, which has led to positive activity at the show. This obviously needs to be matched with a lasting resolution for orders to be confirmed.”
