Men's fashion, exports outside the EU are declining, but not to the US. Pitti's challenge: to push the restart.

2025 remains a critical year for Italian fashion, including men's. The sector is expected to slow down at the end of the year compared to the already challenging year of 2024. Data compiled by the Confindustria Moda Research Center based on Istat, released at the presentation of Pitti Uomo 109, show a first half of the year—the first seven months—in which exports fell 3.2% year-on-year, dropping to €5.3 billion. This decline was dampened by a 7.8% drop in exports to non-European countries, which still accounted for the largest share of total exports (52.2%). Conversely, exports to EU markets rose 2.4%. Again in the first seven months of the year, Italian companies stocked up, perhaps also fearing the repercussions of US tariffs on the cost of goods, with imports growing 5.5% to €3.8 billion, with purchases from non-EU countries rising almost 16%. The top suppliers were Bangladesh (+23.3%), China (+27%), and Spain (+13.9%).

In—or perhaps despite—this challenging context, the 109th edition of Pitti Uomo will open on January 13, 2026. As President Antonio De Matteis points out, "despite this challenging situation due to international political and economic issues, Pitti Uomo remains a point of reference for the world's most important buyers. Last winter, we had 20,000 visitors, including 13,000 buyers (5,000 from abroad), and we continue to receive strong brand registrations: we currently have 730, 44 of which are international." For De Matteis, "it's important to continually renew ourselves, and that's what Pitti continues to do with its events: it's from new brands, even small ones, that the real push for the recovery of Made in Italy fashion can come. A push from which even the big brands can benefit."

Among the new features of the January edition of Pitti Uomo—which will host guest designers such as Soshiotsuki, Hed Mayner, and Shinyakozuka—is the HiBeauty area, which brings together ten cutting-edge perfumery brands, building on the success of September's Pitti Fragranze, which attracted 34% more visitors than the previous edition.

Returning to exports—a topic closely tied to the presence of foreign buyers at Pitti—in the first seven months of the year, France (+1%) confirmed its position as the leading market for Italian men's fashion; the United States is the second largest market, accounting for 10.5% of exports, and between January and July 2025, it recorded growth of 6.5%. Outside Europe, exports to the United Arab Emirates are growing, while China is experiencing a reversal of the trend, with an 18.4% decline, bringing the value of exports to €363 million, equal to 6.8% of the total. Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, the logistics hub of luxury groups, are also experiencing a decline, confirming their sharp slowdown. Looking at product categories, however, the only segment showing growth is leatherwear (+8%), while knitwear is declining. "Italian fashion today requires special attention. The data are significant: in 2024, we recorded a 4% drop in exports, with a 3% decline in the first seven months of 2025 compared to the same period last year," said Matteo Zoppas, president of ITA. "These numbers confirm a critical situation and encourage us to continue our important work in the sector. What emerges from the data analysis is a two-speed scenario: alongside companies in serious difficulty, there are others that are managing to hold their ground and, in some cases, grow. As can be seen, the situation is complex and requires targeted and differentiated responses. The Government has demonstrated full awareness of this urgency with the opening of two roundtables on fashion promoted by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Minister of Business and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso. Roundtables that Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti, called "more concrete than those of the past. The coordination between ministries is commendable."