Why Pitti is Betting Big on Japan
The week also features the seventh edition of the J-Quality initiative, a showcase focusing on Japanese clothing and production, which includes a selection of Made in Japan manufacturers and the Japanese biotechnology firm Spiber, creators of a brewed protein that can be used to make fabric.
“Every time we have to choose a designer, we look to Japan first,” says Francesca Tacconi, who heads up special projects for Pitti Uomo, including the guest designer shows. “I’ve been reading in every magazine in Italy that the new tailoring is now Japanese. This is surprising, because if you think that Italy is the hometown of tailoring, but there is a new version of tailoring and menswear [coming from Japan] that has real attitude.”
As menswear evolves post-streetwear boom, consumers are seeking new modes of dressing. “[Japanese designers] bring a fresh perspective, proposing alternative ways of dressing that sit outside more conventional menswear codes,” says Noelle Rodrigues, co-founder of London store Future Present, which focuses on Japanese labels (and is currently Shinyakozuka’s sole UK stockist). The brands’ increased visibility, she adds, points to consumer desire for menswear that is less constrained by rigid distinctions, such as tailoring versus streetwear: “It suggests an interesting shift in how menswear is being understood and valued internationally.”
Off the back of his LVMH Prize win, Otsuki is at the centre of the buzz this season. Blending the nostalgia of 1980s Italian tailoring with Japanese details like karate silhouettes and kimono tie-jackets, it presents a fresh case for the suit. “He flips [the suit], turning Made in Italy into his Made in Japan, without copying and pasting the silhouettes from Mr. Armani,” says Tacconi. “This is where fashion has to go, otherwise it’s all about heritage.”
Pitti is priming Japanese labels for scale
For Japanese brands and designers looking to break out of the domestic market, Pitti Uomo provides a crucial next step. It’s particularly pertinent timing for Soshi Otsuki, who, up until recently, was doing much of his direct-to-consumer sales in the US before recent tariff reforms. “We have currently paused shipments to the United States, so the situation there is essentially on hold for now,” says Otsuki, who hopes the Pitti show will secure a few more international accounts outside of the US. That the fair is explicitly menswear is also a draw: “One of the core missions of Soshiotsuki has always been to influence the context of traditional menswear,” says the designer. “In that sense, I don’t think there is a more meaningful or relevant platform than Pitti to present my work.”
Shinyakozuka has similar plans. “Our commercial goals in the next couple of years are to build a proper organization and profit structure that allows us to sustain runway shows in Paris on a continuous basis without excessive financial strain,” says Shimpei Kajiura, the brand’s director. “Pitti is the first strategic step in establishing the brand’s image and credibility in international markets outside Japan.” With Shinyakozuka currently making half of its annual revenue outside Japan, and year-on-year growth of 130% to 150% every year, the brand is primed for a global push.
