PITTI UOMO 90: The Fortress of Four

THE MOST IMPORTANT MEN'S FASHION TRADE FAIR FINDS AN OBSESSION WITH STREET ENCHANTMENT IN ITS CLASSIC MIX, ALONG WITH THE ATTRIBUTES OF NEW FACES THAT BROUGHT THEIR COMING.

Of all that is symbolic about the high fashion trade fair, none is more recognisable than its exciting standards of amalgamating disparate elements out of necessity, as portrayed by its habit of entwining polar thematics. This mid-year, Pitti Uomo turns away from fashion’s big names to discern new reverence in street-wear born of emerging talents. Weaving through its throng of collections, which are an impressive twelve thousand something, twenty thousand buyers from all around the world gather in Florence for one purpose, and that is to discover the next big label. But amidst a seemingly endless range of sartorial flair and defining aesthetics, the options can be largely blinding, and lest it might be misconstrued an idealised experimentation, we set forth to give rise to this year’s Pitti Uomo’s four newest talents to be watched.

IKIJI
The brand is a fusion of eclectics, cardinally melding both oriental and western aesthetics while also finding newness in age-old virtues -- where there must be suits and sweaters, there are trails of authentic Japanese prominence.

The resultant craft is an avant garde celebration of classic silhouettes with the infusion of contemporary elements. It is everything bold, but without the aggression.

TRAIANO
Foremost at heart a boutique that underscores patrons of finer things in life, Traiano is surrounded by an impenetrable mysticism as if artisanry was under siege. Attributing to their philosophy, the brand manifests the spirited art of being a gentleman in fabric form, giving life to the dynamism of high-performance wearables with a storied history in textile engineering.

ISKO
Be it a sculpted configuration or workable performance, the denim revolutionary, ISKO, takes on the daunting mantle of engineering the jeans of tomorrow; thus far, its portfolio spans an impressive 25,000 tailorable products. But it’s not just about premium quality denim, ISKO is driven by their motto of creative excellence; incorporated into design, the result is an uncanny diversity of denim products, defeating the identity of a closely homogenous wearable.

CARLO VOLPI
Carlo Volpi pervades high fashion with the intrinsic outrageousness of fun, and the conclusion is a variety of wild vogue whose excessive intricacy pivots on the mastery over superior craftwork -- each an exploratory wearable that tirelessly defines the shifting ephemerality of our new world.



Highly possibly a naysayer to those opting for the dapper look, and we say: Don't turn a blind eye to it, because you and I know that Pitti Uomo is, well, the world's most important menswear trade fair.