Monocle x Pitti Uomo #1

Monocle x Pitti Uomo
#1 - Japan

Editorial

Edition 99

16.03.2021

How can I discover the world’s best menswear?

In partnership with Monocle

Pitti Uomo will return in June for its 100th edition. In the meantime, we have teamed up with Monocle magazine, which has gathered together a list of its favourite British and Japanese brands.

Much more than a biannual clothing fair, Pitti Uomo is a symbol for the power of gathering expertise and sharing excellence. Based in Florence, its potency lies in its global reach. Brands the world over benefit from its international influence. Clothing ateliers and specialist apparel manufacturers in the UK and Japan always make a strong showing at the week-long affair. Both markets are key to Pitti’s position as a premium agent for the continued development of an independent spirit in the menswear trade.

CHOYA SHIRT

When Choya Shirt was founded in 1886, the word “shirt” didn’t yet exist in Japanese. At the time, the emperor, his family and other aristocrats were desperate to get their hands on Western-style shirting and Choya was created when the founders deconstructed British and French styles, turning them into an art form. To this day, the emperor still wears the brand’s crisp cotton tops.

GOLDWIN

GEN ARAI,
BRAND DIRECTOR, GOLDWIN

What lessons have you learned over the past year?
There have been changes in the way we sell and we realised the importance of being a brand that consumers want. Unnecessary brands and products are eliminated.

Why focus on the outdoor for this collection?
We want to create products that are environmentally friendly, combining function with sophisticated design.

Why is Pitti Uomoso important?
New brands like us need to make new proposals to the market. Pitti Uomo is an effective place to create opportunities.

NANAMICA

Starting Nanamica was a natural evolution for Eiichiro Homma. Beginning his fashion career at Goldwin and developing Norwegian outdoor brand Helly Hansen’s Japanese products, Homma became a master of the technical garment. In 2003 he teamed up with designer Takashi Imaki, who had lifted the Champion brand to iconic levels in Japan, and launched Nanamica. The aim was to create a functional fashion brand that would travel internationally. Collaborations with The North Face and Gore-Tex have helped Homma to build a distinctive label.