All guest designers at the upcoming edition of Pitti Uomo

The winter edition of Pitti Uomo, now increasingly becoming a kind of men's pre-fashion week, which will take place January 9-12, 2024, has announced over the past few weeks a surprising list of independent designers who will enliven its programming. The newest name is Achilles Ion Gabriel, current creative director of Camper, who will debut his own eponymous brand with a collection of clothing, footwear, and accessories. Then there will be the two Guest Designers of the edition, the already well-known S.S. Daley and Luca Magliano, two emerging names that are already highly appreciated, and, for the Designer Showcase section, there will be the return to the catwalk of Todd Snyder, who has not organized a show in four years. And if every year a new name emerges from Pitti Uomo that surprisingly rises above the rest (the most notable case in recent years has to be Chateau Orlando, which everyone was talking about last January) this line-up promises great things for the edition to come.

So here is a closer look at the various indie designers featured at Pitti Uomo.

1.Todd Snyder

Todd Snyder founded his eponymous brand in 2011, carving a distinctive niche by seamlessly blending British tailoring with American classics. Hailing from Iowa, away from traditional fashion hubs, Snyder's design exudes vintage charm, harmoniously balancing tailoring, workwear, military, and sportswear in his collections. Inspired by his admiration for Ralph Lauren, Snyder's aesthetic reinterprets vintage codes with a fresh perspective. In his previous role at J.Crew, Snyder revitalized the brand, notably introducing the innovative "Liquor Shop" concept, seamlessly merging J.Crew products with collaborations featuring American classics like Timex and Red Wing in a bar-counter-like setting. Having shifted away from runway shows and wholesale, Snyder now engages directly with customers through his website and has achieved significant success in Japan. With plans to re-enter the wholesale market and expand globally, his return to the Pitti runway strategically positions his brand for continued international growth.

2. S.S. Daley

Born in Liverpool, 26-year-old Steven Stokey-Daley clinched the prestigious LVMH Prize for Young Designers in 2022 for his reimagining of traditional British class narratives through a queer lens. His garments represent a mature and expressive reinterpretation of rigorous English tailoring. Stokey-Daley's theatrical approach, including a show featuring Ian McKellen, transcends socio-political divisions, offering a fresh perspective on intersections of class and identity through gender-fluid reinterpretations of historical high-society uniforms, featuring wide-leg trousers and embroidered shirts. A graduate of the University of Westminster, Stokey-Daley garnered attention when Harry Styles wore his graduation collection in the "Golden" music video. Officially launching his brand in 2020, Stokey-Daley attributes the existence of his label to Styles and stylist Harry Lambert. His London Fashion Week debut in September 2021 drew inspiration from British tailoring, exploring themes of social class, inequality, school life, sexual awakening, and homosexuality, earning him accolades and establishing him as a favorite on the London indie scene.

3 . Luca Magliano

The announcement of Luca Magliano's participation in Pitti crowned a remarkable year for the Bologna-based designer, gaining prominence in the Milan scene and receiving the Karl Lagerfeld Special Jury Prize at the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers. Interestingly, Magliano's runway debut took place at Florence's Dogana during Pitti Uomo in 2018 before joining the Milan Fashion Week calendar. After graduating in Bologna, Magliano started in Alessandro Dell’Acqua's team in Milan, returning to Bologna in 2013 to collaborate with Manuela Arcari on Ter et Bantine. In 2015, he launched the I Was Naked brand, soon closed, and the next year, Arcari, also the president of Arcari e Co., offered him the opportunity to produce his own line under license, giving rise to the Magliano brand. Winning Vogue Italia's Who Is on Next? Uomo in 2017 and debuting at Pitti Uomo, Magliano's style evolved into menswear permeated with rustic, lived-in traditionalism, highlighting humble clothing archetypes like work jackets, army surplus coats, and safety footwear. He emphasizes a "true" Italian essence, departing from idealized versions or the usual "La Dolce Vita" postcard image, showcasing beauty in realism, reminiscent of the Italian neorealism film movement.

4 Achilles Ion Gabriel

Achilles Ion Gabriel has gained fame as the creative director of Camper. In his tenure, the Finnish shoemaker (indeed, a shoemaker, not a designer, as anyone can design shoes, but he knows how to build them from scratch) brought Camper to new recognition in the fashion industry through avant-garde fun and surrealism. Developing an early interest in materials, design, architecture, and artisanal craftsmanship, Gabriel's background was a perfect fit for Camper, a historic Majorcan brand that he revitalized not by erasing what came before him but by leveraging craftsmanship excellence to push the boundaries of what a shoe could be—making them fun, recognizable, and accessible. This combination has led the brand to appeal to a generation of fashion-savvy but less enamored with the extreme commerciality of luxury. In a relatively rare occurrence in fashion, Camper has become a beloved and respected brand among insiders without relying on runway shows or celebrities, but solely on its community.