A very positive atmosphere for Pitti W @ Pitti Uomo

24 Jun '10

3 min read

The 78th edition of Pitti Uomo has just closed its doors at the Fortezza da Basso, launching strong signals that the recovery has started, and that during the past few days here in Florence the international fashion community has heard them clearly. The exhibitors who decided to preview their new collections and projects (1,047 collections in all – an unprecedented record for Pitti Uomo and Pitti_W) said so too, but above all, it's the numbers that say the most. Here are the final attendance figures for this edition:

a total of 19,200 buyers
+ 6% compared to the June 2009 edition
6,900 foreign buyers (+ 12%),
12,300 Italian buyers (+ 3%)
more than 32,000 visitors overall

“The figures, the business contacts registered in the stands, the opinions we heard”, says Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine, “as well as the huge amount of international media attention over the last few days – thanks also to the presence of big names like Jil Sander, Haider Ackermann and American artist Andrea Zittel, add up to a good dose of confidence, especially for the Italian fashion industry, the main player at our fair, which has always been strongly export-oriented. It was possible to feel a fresh air, a desire for modernization and renewal, in terms of both the collections and image of the over 1,000 brands at the Fortezza: there was a strong appetite for change, undoubtedly influenced by the renewed layout of the Main Pavilion, designed by Patricia Urquiola, as well as the new My Factory section, and the many special projects premiered in Florence. All these innovations were greatly appreciated by members of the trade and have encouraged us to continue investing in updating our fair format and carrying out international scouting activities for the latest collections”. And not to forget the great work that has been doing with Who is on Next? Uomo, the competition dedicated to new Italian talents on menswear.

The data on foreign buyers are another important signal of how the international markets are approaching a recovery. At Pitti Uomo, all the major foreign markets registered an increase in numbers, with double digit increases for Spain (+ 16%), United Kingdom (+ 33%), United States (+ 13%), Russia (+ 36%), China and Hong Kong, South Korea, Turkey, Belgium and Austria; while the number of buyers from Japan, France and Holland rose by single figures. There were also noteworthy performances on the parts of Canada, Sweden, Norway, Ukraine, Brazil, Middle Eastern countries and many new markets.

With regard to the top sixteen countries, Germany once again came out on top in absolute terms (with 862 buyers), followed by Spain (633), Japan (617), Great Britain (461), Holland (445), France (437), China (360), Turkey (297), Belgium (270), South Korea (251), Switzerland (236), Austria (207), Russia (195), United States (177), Portugal (138), Greece (130) and Hong Kong (107).

There was also general satisfaction and a great atmosphere at the Dogana for Pitti W Woman Precollection n.6, which had around 4,400 visitors, confirming the levels registered at last summer's edition.

All the most important international buyers visited the event dedicated to women's precollections and greatly appreciated the product proposals from the 75 exhibiting companies who have told us that – over the four days of the event – they took some important orders and achieved some very positive results.

Pitti Uomo

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