Pitti Uomo confirms physical edition for January 2021

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Oct 6, 2020

As previously reported by FashionNetwork.com, Florentine trade show organiser Pitti Imagine has confirmed the return of the physical version of Pitti Uomo for the event's winter edition. The iconic menswear trade fair will take place from 12 to 14 January 2021, returning to Florence's Fortezza da Basso. The event will therefore stay open for three days, rather than its usual four, but each day will have longer hours. Pitti will also be hosting a digital version of the event. 

"We have studied the buyer flows for the most recent editions and have chosen to combine the elimination of the Friday with an extension of the hours from Tuesday to Thursday. The final result is that the fair is actually open for only three hours less and work will be more efficiently concentrated for everybody," explained Pitti Imagine general manager Agostino Poletto in a release. 

"We're realistic. We're expecting different numbers to those that we would normally have," he continued. Nonetheless, the event's Italian organisers are keen to go ahead.

As highlighted by Pitti Imagine CEO Raffaello Napoleone, "January's Pitti Uomo is intended to be a lively and dynamic space full of innovation. [...] Hosting a physical trade fair which respects the new rules and protects the health of all participants is our main goal. But it's also the first indispensable step towards getting back to normal."

The event's organisers have made a particular effort to support the companies who wish to participate, offering a fee that they consider to be "one of the lowest in the world." The fee will apparently cover "important investments undertaken in safety and layout preparations, and the development of the event's digital dimension."

Participation in the all new Pitti Connect commercial platform is therefore included in the event's fee. Pitti Imagine has also reviewed the payment conditions for its exhibitors and is working to support companies in their efforts to obtain funding from the state. 

This 99th edition of Pitti Uomo will notably feature a number of reinforced sanitary measures. The pavilions will be disinfected several times a day, while access to the trade fair will be regulated and scheduled in accordance with the flux of attendees, who will be tested with a digital thermometer. Public spaces will be designed so as to allow for social distancing. 

According to Pitti Imagine, the event's architectural team is working on solutions "that will make the interior spaces of the pavilions and movement around them safe and functional."