S|STYLE sustainable style returns to Pitti Uomo June 13-16 at the Fortezza da Basso, the traditional location for Florence’s most popular fashion fair.
The exhibition, presented by the Fondazione Pitti Discovery, has attracted top international buyers and media representatives providing a showcase of ten international brands scouted from around the world by journalist and curator Giorgia Cantarini.
This June’s fair welcomes for the first time a partnership with Kering MIL. Participating brands at S|STYLE include Cavia (Italy), Dalpaos (Italy), Dhruv Kapoor (India), Isnurh (Denmark), Jeanne Friot (France), Ksenia Schnaider (Ukraine), Olooh (Côte d’Ivoire), Permu (United Kingdom), Steven Passaro (France), Young n Sang (South Korea).
Kering MIL, the Group’s in-house research and innovation hub opened in 2013 in Milan, is dedicated to reducing the Kering Group’s overall environmental impact by transitioning all its brands toward a sustainable supply chain. With a decade of accumulated knowledge in sustainability, Kering MIL’s involvement provides a hands-on approach to accelerating the adoption of innovative, low-impact materials and processes in the collections of designers at S|STYLE – whose solutions will be showcased to the fair’s visitors this June.
Various solutions will be explored by each designer to embed more sustainability criteria into their collections: from the widely adopted practice of upcycling to reducing resource consumption during processing; and from bio-based solutions to implementing international certifications that are aligned with Kering’s existing standards. They will also focus on giving back to the planet and communities, the use of recycled materials, and the promotion of fair ethical work that supports artisans.
“The collaboration with Kering’s Material Innovation Lab is an important recognition of the work we are doing to spread a modern culture of responsibility in fashion; but most of all we are happy because Kering MIL can give designers practical help with getting to know and use the most innovative materials for their research in design at an international level. Thanks to skillful and up-to-date curatorship over the last three years, S|STYLE has brought to the attention of the Pitti Uomo media and buyers some 40 young designers and emerging brands, each with an original style and a truly fresh approach to issues that are a major concern for the new generation. At the same time, the Discovery Foundation’s mission is precisely to support projects that can grow to become an important part of the programs of Pitti and its shows,” said Lapo Cianchi, head of communications and special projects for Pitti Immagine and general secretary of the Fondazione Pitti Discovery.
“The S|STYLE project by Pitti sounds like a perfect match for Kering MIL’s open innovation attitude and approach. It’s an unusual partnership for supporting young and emerging brands that want to embrace sustainability, adding innovation to their low-impact capsules and giving them the chance to showcase new prototype materials that have been
piloted or validated by the MIL and materials that are aligned with our Kering Standards. This collaboration is also one of the initiatives to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of our Material Innovation Lab established in 2013,” Christian Tubito, Kering MIL Director.
“It’s really hard to be an emerging brand and at the same time be 100% sustainable, but we have to start somewhere. This is the principle that has guided S|STYLE from its inception in 2020 when I approached Pitti with an idea: to bring together a combination of talent and responsible practices in terms of production, ethics, and technology. No matter the brand’s provenance or latitude, S|STYLE fills the void in menswear by showcasing a selection of creatives that act as examples of responsible fashion. Our partnership with Kering MIL is a concrete milestone to push these promising designers to learn even more about innovative solutions, while offering them the chance to integrate them into their next collection. We can all learn more at the fair this summer. Style, knowledge, and respect for the planet finally are coming together for a better future and a more mindful way of doing business,” Giorgia Cantarini, journalist, stylist and curator of S|STYLE.