Pitti Uomo Fall 2018: Ones we watched. From the post-apocalypse uniform and theatrical vision to another Stanley Kubrick classic, here’s what stood out to us at the trade fair.
There’s no better way to see fashion than through the eyes of the Italian themselves. As a platform for the one-stop cradling fashion designers near and far, Pitti Uomo took on a roll last week with a diverse list of designers taking part in the fashion showcase. Pitti Uomo was held in Florence, Italy, where both the old and new exhibited and told us the “what’s next” in fashion. While these stylish audiences get up close and personal to the designers and clothes, we are definitely seeing much more interesting and crazier things happening in Pitti Uomo this year.
Among the many interesting labels that took part in Pitti Uomo was Germany’s 032c. Their creative and meditative representation took place in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, entitled “What We Believe”. Believing that the label stands more than just a typical art and fashion Berlin-based publication, 032c breaks boundaries with their successful line of merchandises, landing themselves an invitation to Pitti Uomo FW2018. With their debut collection in the showcase, we witnessed street-style become their dominant theme; a strong statement that does not go too over. Throughout their 15-minute showcase, the brand also featured a spoken-word manifesto where they asserted the importance of collectiveness and respect for one another – characteristics proven to bring someone forward and upward. Just as how the label made it through initially as a mere publication.
Undercover Fall 2018 Menswear Backstage Photography Ben Awin © Hypebeast
Pitti Uomo’s conclusion was a strong and poignant one with dual show of Jun Takahashi’s label UNDERCOVER and Takahiro Miyashita’s The Soloist. As far as typical runway shows are concerned, the two combinations of UNDERCOVER and The Soloist surpass all preconceived notions and assumptions of a fashion showcase. The two labels joined forces to channel and challenge all their energy to create a show that revolved around dystopian theme of the world being engulfed by technology. The show started with UNDERCOVER that focused on the theme of Order/Disorder, while The Soloist will end it with Disorder/Order, a concept of putting back the world back into place, from where it was first broken apart.
Takahiromiyashita The Soloist Fall 2018 Menswear Backstage Photography Ben Awin © Hypebeast
Before the finale, we see models walked in red ponchos with the line “The Day the World Went Away.” And by the end of the showcase, the two collections from the designers went side by side, with half donned in white and the other in black, subtly talking about the world and its end, balancing between good and evil, positive and negative.
Photography Vanni Bassetti. Image courtesy i-d.vice.com
There is an immensity and depth that one can feel lost or even sick and jaded in the thoughts. While its concept defines the ambiguity of life and the future that lays ahead, The Soloist and UNDERCOVER’s showcase brought a strong ending to this year’s Pitti Uomo.