Luxury labels steal the show in Florence during Pitti Uomo
Luxury labels had never been so visible and active in Florence during Pitti Uomo. Since the world’s leading menswear show opened on Tuesday, June 13, names like Roberto Cavalli, Valentino and Gucci have descended on the Tuscan capital to stage all kinds of events, from exclusive dinner parties to invitation-only cocktail evenings, store openings and other special initiatives, while the show by Fendi, Pitti Uomo’s guest of honour, is scheduled on Thursday 15.
Some labels went out of their way to pamper their guests, enabling them to access some of Florence’s most iconic venues. Like Brunello Cucinelli, which staged its traditional dinner on the evening of Pitti Uomo’s first day, inviting some 500 guests inside the vast cloister of the Santa Maria Novella Basilica, and setting out a stunning banquet under the cloister’s arches, overlooked by magnificent Renaissance frescoes. Among the guests, the Italian cashmere specialist’s staff from all over the world, including those from China, back at Pitti Uomo after a three-year absence.
The following day, Stefano Ricci rose to the occasion too. On Wednesday morning, the uber-luxe menswear label unveiled its first monograph, entitled simply ‘The Book’, with an event held at the historic Laurentian Library, an architectural masterpiece by Michelangelo, which for the occasion exhibited some of the ancient manuscripts that belonged to Lorenzo de’ Medici.
“This is a magical place. We wanted to find somewhere unique, a venue that had never been utilised for this kind of event,” the label’s managing director Niccolò Ricci told FashionNetwork.com. A unique venue for a special occasion, the presentation of the first book telling the story of the Ricci family and its worldwide success. A fifty-year history narrated across 500 pages by 31 leading writers and 52 photographers.
True to its style, the Florentine label has also published a limited-edition of the volume, 300 copies hand-bound in leather in a giant 50 cm by 50 cm format, which “we’ll gift to our friends and most loyal clients,” said Ricci, who is especially happy about the label’s post-Covid rebound. “Business is booming. Our sales soared by 45% in the first half of the year,” he said.
Cocktail party on LuisaViaRoma’s terrace
Roberto Cavalli too made an appearance in Florence, holding a cocktail party on the terrace of the renowned LuisaViaRoma multibrand store, where the label set up for the occasion a special showcase for its Wild Leda capsule collection. Creative Director Fausto Puglisi and new CEO Sergio Azzolari were on hand to meet the guests.
At the same time and not far off, still on via Roma, French leather goods label Longchamp was celebrating the re-opening of its Florentine store, unveiling the new interiors concept developed by Creative Director Sophie Delafontaine.
Finally, the inauguration of Valentino's brand-new store, overlooking the imposing piazza della Signoria, was scheduled on Wednesday evening. Right across the square, in the Gucci Garden multi-functional venue, Gucci opened the ‘Gucci Vision’ exhibition, tracing the 102-year history of the Kering-owned luxury label.
The second super-glitzy Florentine fashion day was set to finish in style with a huge evening show for 2,000 guests organised by LuisaViaRoma with Vogue UK and Edward Enninful on Piazzale Michelangelo, overlooking the Arno river and the city of Florence, with all the city's notables and the fashion industry's elite in attendance.
Copyright © 2023 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
