January 9, 2023 |
New year, new threads, ‘cause it’s that time of year again. The fashion pack are stuffing their Gucci handbags and Saint Laurent suits into oversized carry-ons and flocking to Europe for January’s men’s fashion month. Florence is first up with its world-class menswear trade fair, Pitti Uomo, followed by Milan’s Fashion Week frenzy and the Parisian pandemonium we treasure so dearly.
The women’s season is just around the corner too, but first, there’s a fresh batch of menswear fashions for you to sink your teeth into. And if you’re not on top of your own fashion calendar, there’s no need to sound the panic alarms just yet ‘cause we’ve rounded up all the must-see shows of the AW23 season. You’re welcome!
PITTI UOMO
Following in the newfangled footsteps of Wales Bonner, Telfar, Jil Sander and Thebe Magugu, Martine Rose is off to Florence for the city’s quintessential menswear tradeshow, Pitti Uomo. The British-Jamaican designer is this season’s protagonist, the fair’s Guest Designer, and is set to unveil her AW23 collection Thursday, January 12.
Taking place in Pitti Uomo 103 at the Fortezza da Basso, 759 total brands will be in attendance from January 10 to 13, hosting a range of booths and digital and physical presentations. Big hitters include Teva, Brunello Cucinelli, Grenfell, Nobis, Roberto Collina, Yves Salomon, Alphatauri, Blundstone, Fila, Juicy Couture and Karl Kani. Belgian designer Jan-Jan Van Essche will also be bringing his fluid fashions to Florence with a one-of-a-kind event on Wednesday 11 – his first ever physical show. Discover the full trade fair here.
MILAN
Unless you’ve been living under a rock these past few months, you’ll know that mid-November 2022 had fashion fanatics in a frenzy. Seemingly out of the blue, Raf Simons closed his namesake brand following 27 extraordinary years, but before we even had a chance to blink, Alessandro Michele stepped down as creative director of Gucci that same week. Opening the shows on January 13, we’re gearing up to see our first glimpse of Gucci post Michele. For Simons on the other hand, it’s Prada or nada for now, with the designer now solely focused on Madame Miuccia’s mainstay label.
Elsewhere, Etro’s Marco de Vincenzo is set to show his first men’s collection following his womenswear debut for the brand back in September. Charles Jeffrey Loverboy will be showing over in Milano for the first time, following a sea of successful London displays, and JW Anderson will be back with a vengeance for his second-ever appearance on the men’s Milanese catwalk calendar.
As always, there’s a whole slew of Italian mainstays on schedule – Fendi, Dsquared2, Giorgio and Emporio Armani included. It’d be remiss not to mention that MSGM, JordanLuca and Magliano are in the mix too, with Zegna’s star power closing out the week. Milan Men’s Fashion Week will take place from January 13 to 17, 2023. View the full schedule here.
PARIS
From January 17 to 22, the French fashion capital will be inundated with the industry’s best dressed gents. Wales Bonner will land in Paris first, opening the booked and busy week with its first physical catwalk show in the city on the heels of its Pitti Uomo headline last June.
What’s more, it’s been four years since Saint Laurent’s last standalone menswear outing on Parisian soil, with the brand set to show its AW23 men’s collection January 17. Bode is back in action in Paris for the first time following a pandemic-induced break from shows, too.
Of course, the usual big hitters are coming in hot by the same token. From Berluti, Acne Studios and Comme des Garçons Homme Plus, to Y/Project, Rick Owens, Junya Wanatabe and more. Amiri, Courrèges, Paul Smith, Dior, Botter, Kenzo, Loewe, Hermes, Casablanca, Marine Serre, Wooyoungmi and Sacai will be showcasing collections also.
Elsewhere, in the wake of a slew of commemorative catwalks, exhibitions and final farewells to the late Virgil Abloh, Thursday, January 19, will mark Louis Vuitton’s first full show without the designer’s trailblazing touch. Last season’s SS23 menswear show functioned as a final celebration of his legacy, and it was also the first LV collection to have been seen through to fruition wholly without him, but his poignant presence was overwhelming. Now, entering into a new chapter, the maison’s internal design team will take the reins.
On top of all the usual suspects, the new vanguards making Paris their own are diving into the season head first. Including Bianca Saunders, Kiko Kostadinov, Ludovic de Saint Sernin, EgonLab, Georges Wendell and KidSuper with its anticipated comedy catwalk. Finally, Maison Margiela will close out the week – and the month. Check out the complete schedule here.
Top image: From left to right – Rick Owens Menswear SS23, Gucci SS23, Louis Vuitton Menswear SS23. Follow all the action from the AW23 Menswear shows via our Instagram stories at @10magazine and @10menmagazine.
