“Pitti Filati is where fashion begins,” says Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine. “These three days, have firmly reaffirmed this with extraordinary energy. We have seen it at the exhibiting stands – with the presentation, discovery, and sampling of new yarn collections that we will see in knitwear stores in a year and a half – which have showcased a high level of creativity along with increasingly advanced technological research, and production processes in which environmental respect has become essential.
The excellent final attendance figures – we recorded an 18 percent increase in buyers, gradually returning to pre-COVID levels – once again demonstrate the role of the fair for the spinning sector and the fashion system as a whole. They strongly encourage our exhibiting companies, who deserve all the credit for these results, which will certainly provide momentum in facing the complex dynamics they will encounter in the coming months.”
The final figures of this 93rd edition (28-30 June 2023) indicate that the fair exceeded 3,500 registered buyers, 48 percent of whom are foreigners – around 1,700 – from over 50 countries. Italian buyers have grown by 18 percent, while foreign buyers have increased by 17 percent.
All European markets have grown, and the United States is doing very well (+13 percent). As with other Pitti Immagine shows, the most important markets in the Far East – Japan, China, China/Hong Kong, and South Korea, in particular – have returned to significant growth. There are slightly fewer buyers from Russia and Turkey.
The ranking of the top 15 markets most present in this edition sees France in the lead, followed by the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, China, Spain, Switzerland, Japan, the Netherlands, Turkey, China-Hong Kong, Denmark, South Korea, and Portugal.
“A leading fair like Pitti Filati goes beyond the scope of business,” adds Agostino Poletto, General Manager of Pitti Immagine. “It is also a fundamental moment of dialogue, knowledge exchange, broadening perspectives, culture, and support for emerging talents. In this sense, I want to emphasize that this edition was also particularly effective in terms of the Research Area – titled Domino, curated by Angelo Figus and Nicola Miller and inspired by the theme Pitti Games – and filled with special events, collaborations, and projects at the Fortezza. From the highly attended Talk organized by the Centro di Firenze per la Moda Italiana, which stimulated a broad reflection on how the industry, as well as the world of high fashion education, must address the new challenge of Ecodesign, to the fashion show by the students of the Master’s in Creative Knitwear Design at Accademia Costume & Moda and Modateca Deanna, an impactful show that highlighted the creations of 13 young international designers and engaged the audience. There was also Lineapiù Loves Japan, Lineapiù’s project paying homage to Japanese culture and aesthetics, featuring a series of contemporary reinterpretations of the traditional kimono created by students from the renowned Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo. Lastly, there was the knitted House of Cards installation, created in collaboration with Modateca Deanna, which welcomed visitors at the entrance of the Central Pavilion.”
It is also worth mentioning the success achieved by the vintage operators and the two exhibitions/installations presented at Vintage Selection, also located within the Fortezza at the entrance of Pitti Filati.
A special area of the fair, the Cavedio of the Central Pavilion, also showcased the creations of the 10 finalists of the 14th edition of the Feel the Yarn® competition, dedicated to new talents in international knitwear, promoted by the Consorzio Promozione Filati – CPF. On, June 29, the award ceremony announced the overall winner of this edition: Chinese designer Dejin Chen, who studied at the Polytechnic University of Milan – School of Design. She presented her creations in collaboration with Lanificio dell’Olivo and will have the opportunity to create a capsule collection in knitted fabric for the Autumn/Winter 24/25 season, using materials provided by some of the partner spinning mills of Feel the Yarn®.
The some of the highlights at PITTI BIMBO 97:
Vintage Selection. Showcasing vintage fashion and design
Alongside the fair, the Vintage Selection, the flagship event for vintage design clothing, accessories and objects, was held from 28 to 30 June in the Medici Pavilion at Fortezza da Basso. The fair-market is now considered one of the most authoritative and prestigious events in the vintage world in Italy and Europe, and has always generated great interest among members of the trade attending Pitti Filati who are constantly on the lookout for unique items and input from the fashions of the past. Admission is reserved for members of the trade.
DOMINO – The new Spazio Ricerca
Domino, the new Spazio Ricerca dedicated to the collections for fall/winter 2024-2025, curated as at every edition by Angelo Figus and Nicola Miller, applies the concept of Pitti Games, the main theme of the Pitti Immagine summer fairs, and visually explores their fascination. Not just one, but inclusively all games will be represented in the upcoming trends: different games which can be elegant, sporty, sophisticated, popular, prestigious, accessible, well-known, surprising. A single theme with multiple spirits, as inclusive as the game itself that is beyond class, age, social extraction or limits. A game for every attitude. An invitation to take a well-contemplated risk that is more relaxed, playful and carefree than before. An invitation to play the trump card, to mess up the cards on the table and then put them back in mathematical order, to make the boldest and most unexpected moves, to discover your opponent’s game while waiting for your own turn to throw the dice, taking three pawns in a row to get the king, staking everything on your lucky number, declaring checkmate! Domino will explore the atmospheres of the cards, interpreting classical styles through the signs of Backgammon, carefully scrutinizing the chess pieces laid out on the table, solving the puzzle in a strong and sophisticated crossword competition. Plus darts, bingo, billiards, dice. Nothing is static, everything is moving. Place your bets!
THE CKD MASTER CATWALK SHOW
Students of Accademia Costume and Moda’s Masters Course showcased their creations
Rendezvous with the special fashion showed on 28 June, in the Sala della Ronda of the Fortezza da Basso. The identity and creativity of the students on the Masters course in Creative Knitwear Design of Accademia Costume & Moda and Modateca Deanna returns to the Pitti Filati runway. Not just the final capsule collections of the 13 international masters students, but also the collaborations with the Max Mara Fashion Group, The North Face, Vitelli and Abraham Industries.
FEEL THE CONTEST presented FEEL THE PEOPLE
A special space at Pitti Filati (in the Cavedio-Courtyard, Lower Level) was once again be dedicated at this edition to the competition for the new talents of international knitwear, a contest organized by Feel the Yarn®, the brand which encompasses the majority of the initiatives of the Consorzio Promozione Filati – CPF. The theme of the 2023 edition of the contest was “Feel the People” and featured 10 finalists – from various countries including China, Japan, France, Spain, the US – with a total of 20 costumes and was announced on 29 June as the absolute winner, who have the opportunity to create a capsule collection for F/W 24/25.
