Digital Pitti January 18, 2011
Posted by SCAD Fashion Department in : Careers, Industry News, Manufacturers, Organizations and Associations, Retail, Trade Shows, Trends , trackbackLeave it to the Italians to surprise you. In a country known for it’s strong grip on tradition, the modernization of their fashion industry has never been a focus. In fact, many of the most fashionable houses have seemed to consciously resist technological advancements. That is, until now.
The Pitti fair, arguably the world’s preeminent menswear fair, has taken place in Florence since 1972. Now it has gone digital.
Annually hosting over 1000 brands and more than 23,000 buyers from around the world, the fiar is a great way to see a variety of apparel and accessories offerings from numerous vendors. The difficulty for buyers is remembering everything they saw.
Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune recently interviewed Francesco Bottigliero who has been tasked with creating a digital platform to showcase the goods on display in Florence each year. According to Mr. Bottigliero “research shows that the typical buyer stays at Pitti for a couple of days, visits about 50 stands in depth and leaves with a few fashion impressions and ‘pockets full of business cards.’”
His aim? To recreate the Pitti fair in a virtual environment. “The idea is to offer attendees a second or third look, using their screens to “visit” stands that they did not have time to see and to compare and contrast products, materials and prices.”
The online fair will launch at the next edition of Pitti, but some sample images are online now. Be sure to read Ms. Menkes’ article and visit the online edition of the fair e-Pitti to get a sneak peak at the possible future apparel buying.
- Tiffany Horton
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