The Future of Men According to Pitti Uomo

Marco Valente, a Virgo and senior menswear buyer for SSENSE, was also in Florence for the fair. We’ve worked together for many years, but on May 13th, 2026, I sent our first Slack correspondence: “I was informed you are attending Pitti." He replied, “heya ya ill be there."

I was curious to see Pitti Uomo through his buyer’s lens, a more calculating perspective that a social media manager could not get on their own. Except for a few more texts about scheduling, we didn’t chat until I spotted him at the fair standing under a shaded pathway.

“What are you doing at Pitti?” I ask Marco, half-joking because I enjoy questions that sound accusatory if the wrong inflection is applied. Marco, mellow and charming, doesn’t flinch. He knows I want as many details about his process as possible. “I'm just exploring, looking for new brands, something very specific,” he says. I inquire how he locates something so indefinable. “It’s not necessarily an aesthetic but a feeling that the brand can give me.”

Marco’s style is understated but considered. If others at Pitti Uomo are described as peacocks, Marco is an owl, discerning and striking. On this day he wore loafers and crisp red socks that answered the question I asked at the airport in the affirmative. “I would love to be that guy throwing on a suit for this, but that's just not me. I guess I'm stubborn in how I dress,” he tells me, and we wander the many floors, pavilions, and avenues that lead to even more spaces brands have set up shop.

Each booth imparts knowledge to those strolling by. A rack of fabric swatches communicates a commitment to quality, choice, and customization. A mock living room offers a lifestyle. I don’t know what a DJ playing a didgeridoo could mean, but I took a video of it nonetheless.

“So what are you looking for?” I ask, as if I’d be of any assistance.

“I’m looking for a level of subversion,” Marco responds, “something that I'm immediately interested in without entirely understanding what it is. We're looking to build out a world, support that world, and then subvert it through the SSENSE lens.”

Marco tells me he’s informally looking at what people are wearing. Pitti Uomo is the place for people watching. Though first and foremost a trade fair, the presentation of masculine style at Pitti conjures an era long before the term “metrosexual” was introduced to hetero-wash the implications of caring about male aesthetics.

At Pitti, that term peacocking is often used. I overheard it from buyers, press, and more than a few guests. However appropriate the term is for the act (donning one’s best to garner attention), the animal is doing something entirely different (displaying sexy plumes to attract a peahen). In Marco’s words, the human peacocks aren’t there for that: “The only mate they seek within the context of Pitti Uomo is the lens of a camera.” So how does their presence relate to the trade show, to the SSENSE buy, or to that of the many retailers, magazines, and social media personalities who are there to work, none of whom seem interested in peacocking?

For Marco it’s secondary. There are more attendees in comparatively unassuming clothes than there are coxcombs. “I think where we are the strongest is when we push an aesthetic that is entirely unique," Marco says. "That's the nice thing about the fair; you can just go through everything, and amidst all of the chaos, you'll be like, 'What is that?' The next thing you know you've written a [purchase order]. In Paris, three-quarters of the day you are on a line, bike, or the metro. I see probably 10 times as many brands as I do in Paris simply because of proximity.”

It’s early, but I ask Marco about his success so far. “There was one brand, and it immediately caught my eye. We’re going to go see the showroom in Paris, and otherwise I probably would never have heard of that brand. This is their first season showing. It’s so much more interesting for us to champion a brand that is pushing an entirely new silhouette. There are brands here, especially from Asia that are not doing the ‘Pitti’ thing. That is an aspect of the future of Pitti.”

Indeed, while the dandyish dressing is an emblem of the event, its heart and soul are the 730 brands, big and small, traditional and avant-garde, showcased at the fair. This year there’s a strong focus on Asian designers. A large installation and a special presentation by South Korean label JiyongKim were main events. There was a much-Instagrammed punk-haired runway show by Japanese designer Kei Ninomiya for DSM and a third edition for CODE KOREA, a project intent on promoting South Korean designers that was advertised by the biggest sign I saw all week.

The debut of Simone Rocha’s men’s collection most notably took us into the future of menswear. Showcasing clothing as dreamy as her womenswear offerings, it disrupted traditional menswear cues with embroidery, feathered boas, organza, lace, and tulle. The select Internet voices who said it undermined traditional masculinity may not realize tradition can be reset. After all, Cosimo de’ Medici, founder of the dynasty that made Florence famous, would be better suited for Simone Rocha SS27 than for conventional trousers.

But in 2026 the concept of masculinity seems as confused as ever. If not confused (since both sides of the conversation are firm in their perspectives), then it is at the very least fractured. Maybe that’s a good thing. As a man described as light in his loafers, swishy in his short shorts, and fruity in his fringe, discussion of masculinity’s pressures upon those who uphold them has not concerned me for a while; my reaction typically amounts to an eye roll.

But in the airport, breaking from second-guessing my luggage contents, I spent five social media minutes examining the recent and ongoing plastic surgery results of infamous looksmaxxer Clavicular, and consequently my feed, as algorithms now tend to do, became filled with reactions to the subject. Most, ignorant to post-surgery swelling or unwilling to afford the controversial figure grace, decided he ruined his looks. Others employed uninspired homophobia to hurl disdain and question his masculinity, the very element he’s been trying to maximize through lifestyle optimization, experimental techniques, substance use, and invasive surgery. In search of peak masculinity’s golden ration, the ripostes decided he had gone too far. In contrast to applying a hammer to one’s own face, as he’s done, I didn’t think a rhinoplasty seemed so controversial. As harmful as his theories and assertions may be, there’s something refreshing in being forthcoming about one’s insecurities, especially as a man, even if it’s probably for views. Has Clavicular ever just considered the power of a well-tailored suit?

Fashion offers the ultimate looksmaxxing opportunity. If it’s proportional harmony you desire, there’s tailoring. If you wish to compliment your facial undertones, there’s color theory. You can be delicate in ballet flats or imposing in platform boots. The number of archetypes you present in a day is limited only by time and budget. Clothing is not permanent. That’s the point.

Perhaps subconsciously inspired, immediately after the Simone Rocha show, Marco and I attempted to go vintage shopping, but the shop closed early, so we settled for dinner at a nearby piazza. I am curious about how Rocha’s vision and its refusal of limitations align with ours. “The ‘SSENSE Man’ is someone who does not necessarily consider masculinity within its traditional scope," Marco responds. “We have always challenged this in both our brand mix and assortment planning. I always view products through this lens. I felt so much synergy at the Simone Rocha show specifically, where she twisted traditional menswear through a hyper-romantic lens.”

I twisted my tagliolini on my fork, irked by the gooey texture of the prawn tartare that accompanied it, though I knew exactly what I was getting when I ordered it.

“Are men okay?" is another question I love. With a certain cadence, it can sound concerned or accusatory. It might be asked rhetorically, but it’s been answered by everyone from Reddit to Stephen Colbert. It is the headline for several articles concerned with statistics on male isolation. But the answer, at least at Pitti Uomo, is yes, the uomoni are okay.

“Pitti is the only real and true expression of capital-M menswear that still exists at this scale on the fashion calendar,” Marco tells me. “It has an essence of a bygone time when menswear was more a niche subcultural concept, guys getting together and being interested in clothing.”

So if you are a man and you are not okay, maybe you need to get dressed and attend Pitti Uomo.

Michael the III is a writer, photographer, model, and appreciator of fine pasta textures. His work has appeared in THEFINEPRINT, Gayletter, Document Journal and SSENSE._