Fireworks went off by the river Arno to celebrate 30 years of Pitti Immagine Uomo, the trade show where everyone flocks to Florence to discover the latest menswear trends.https://www.instagram.com/p/BykExkMnVua/?utm_source=ig_embedFerragamo showed its first collection for 2020 in the shadow of the city’s famous and historic statues, while Gucci celebrated its 21st century donation with a water installation in the Boboli Gardens. It was easy, therefore, to see the 30th anniversary of Pitti Immagine Uomo as a celebration of a glorious past.https://www.instagram.com/p/BymWWYJn9HP/?utm_source=ig_embedBut making a speech inside the Palazzo Vecchio one of Florence’s most treasured and famous historical buildings, Italy’s Minister of Culture, Alberto Bonisoli, looked ahead – not back.

“Techno culture” was his name for a “multi-polar” Italy where past, present and future came together. Praising the work achieved in his country’s fashion, he spoke of a cultural revolution that had to be passed on to a younger generation.https://www.instagram.com/p/Bym1gtsHuy6/?utm_source=ig_embedAll over the city, famous fashion houses were facing up to reality. Ferragamo’s presentation was stunning for its setting – allowed by the city because the company had supported the re-installation of the Fountain of Neptune.https://www.instagram.com/p/Bym2IJtHsk_/?utm_source=ig_embedThe clothes themselves were not flamboyant but remained elegant and sophisticated, yet encompassing new materials, for example, there was the thinnest of leather for one of designer Paul Andrew’s wisp of a jacket. He also played artistically with sweet colours facing off sharp cutting.
