In the trade halls themselves at any given Pitti Uomo, there’s no shortage of brands to see and feel. And outside the trade halls, many companies have a presence in Florence so they can meet clients or create awareness of their brand via other methods.
During Pitti 105 in January, there were lots of brands I’ve seen many times before and am still excited about (Inis Meain, Saint Gregory Tailors in Naples, 100 Hands, and more). But here are five things I haven’t covered before that I saw which caught my attention.
Invertere
Founded in 1904 by Harold Parkin and his brother, they made their name with reversible coats, gaining international traction post-WWII. Since the 1980s, the brand has undergone many handovers in ownership, but for the past decade the name has been licensed to Japanese company Imex, who has taken over the primary business operations.
They had two fit models. One is more traditional, with a comfortable, loose fit just as you’d expect a duffel coat. The other is more contemporary, with a gigantic fit, dropped shoulders, a shorter length, and huge sleeves. (Funny how contemporary fit is now huge instead of slim). The fabrics were satisfyingly thick, and warm. My friend Gus who tried them on liked the more interesting herringbone fabric over the more traditional, plain duffel fabric they had.
They still manufacture in England. So even though it’s a Japanese licensed brand, the make is still authentically British. If you want an iconic classic, check them out. They’re somewhat hard to buy in the USA, but Beige Habilleur sells them.
Barbour x Baracuta
Speaking of British brands, I decided to stop in to the booth of one of the all time greats, Barbour. Typically I don’t spend a lot of time revisiting the same big brands every time, in favor of trying to discover something new I hadn’t seen before. But I’m glad I checked out their space because I saw two fun things I wouldn’t have expected.
The biggest is their collaboration with Baracuta. Everybody has at some point considered the classic G9 Harrington jacket from Baracuta—as made famous by Steve McQueen, Elvis, James Dean and others. At one time during the peak heritage menswear period of the early 2010s, J.Crew was selling them.
The collaboration with Barbour sees the classic G9 and a couple other styles they make rendered in Barbour’s classic waxed cotton fabric.
It’s one of those crossover moments that make so much sense you wonder, “has this been around forever and I just didn’t notice til now?”
Barbour has a page for this collaboration on their site here: Barbour x Baracuta | Barbour
Also pretty sweet was the camo Barbour jacket I saw. That’s just awesome.
Boltey
In one of the smaller buildings, in a little booth, my eye landed on a rack of utility jackets, chore coats and military style jackets made in the most beautiful Harris tweeds.
The brand was one I’d never heard of, Boltey. Originating in Madrid and making products made in Spain, they have a collection that feels a little bipolar. Those Harris tweed jackets make up one part, with breezy, pastel colored shirts in linen, pique and lightweight cotton making up most of the other part. They also have deconstructed, casual blazers. Honestly I like both ends of that spectrum, but it did feel slightly jarring.
Anyway, it made sense that they’re not widely known yet, as they told me they’ve only just begun showing at shows like Pitti to expand their business. I recorded a video at their booth on Instagram.
But here’s what’s great: you can buy directly from their website. Boltey – Web Oficial
Goldfels belts
This isn’t a brand which had any official presence at Pitti, but rather was a person I was introduced to during one of the parties. Based on Germany, Goldfels makes high quality belts with a wicked cool closure, which hides the holes and prong, giving a clean appearance on the front. And the buckles look very slick.
Take a look at their site: www.goldfelsstore.com
Robert Spangle’s Caracciolo Tailoring
Robert is best known as a photographer under the moniker Thousand Yard Style, but he is engaged in many pursuits. With a background in industrial design, his Observer brand focuses mostly on uniquely designed accessories with an emphasis on usability and longevity. He has expanded the collection to include clothing, namely really functional white denim, and pajamas in collaboration with Kuwaiti maker Jabs.
Now in collaboration with Sartoria Caracciolo and Dugdale Cloths, he showed a collection of uniquely designed tailoring for the modern age.
The highlights include a double breasted jacket model with double slits in the front, allowing easy access to trouser pockets without ruining the line of the jacket, as well as hidden pockets to store a phone out of sight but within reach. He explained during the event they hosted, that he designed everything with heavy weight high twist cloth, which wears hard and drapes well but still allows breathability in the heat—because, as he said it, the world is getting hotter but we spend most of our time in air conditioning.
If you’re interested in the tailoring, he’s doing tailoring appointments out of his L.A. HQ for the next few months. Or if you’re planning a trip to Naples, you can meet with Caracciolo in their sartoria. To make an appointment for an L.A. consultation, head over to https://www.observercollection.com/contact/ and reach out directly.
Thanks for the update, especially about Boltey. It looks like an interesting brand. Did you happen to see the Trenton jacket they have on their site? Look like it might make a nice casual sports coat. It lists the material as “plush cotton.” If you had a chance to examine the jacket, I would be curious to know your impressions of it. Is that “plush” similar to a moleskin feel, for example, or something a bit different?
I didn’t notice that style on the rack, so either they didn’t have it there or I missed it. In the video and when we chatted he did not bring it up.
Okay, thanks. I can always write them. Regardless, thanks for the video and piece introducing the brand.