If awards season is anything to go by, we’re set for an exciting year when it comes to menswear. And while Pitti Uomo and Milan Fashion Week Men’s look a little different for Autumn/Winter 2025, with a reduction in big-brand shows and activations, organisers expect new names to bring some crucial energy this season. And of course, from Prada to Giorgio Armani, we can rely on the major labels that remain to bring a suitable amount of buzz.

Even amid the luxury slowdown, the Italian menswear market is growing faster than that of womenswear, presenting an opportunity for brands that can cut through the noise. The Italian men’s designer apparel market grew 2 per cent to €2.2 billion in 2024, and is projected to grow a further 2.6 per cent this year, per Euromonitor. (The women’s designer apparel market, while much larger in size, grew just 0.02 per cent in 2024 to €3.7 billion and is projected to grow 0.05 per cent this year, according to Euromonitor.)

Fashion week governing body Camera Nazionale della Moda president Carlo Capasa is keen to remain positive and push the envelope on creativity to reignite stronger growth. “We should promote buying. But based on Italian creativity and craftsmanship. We shouldn’t think marketing will fix all problems. Marketing is an Anglo-Saxon word. In Europe we lead with creativity.”

Here, Vogue Business breaks down the brands, shows and events to note.

Pitti Uomo

There will be two guest designers at Italian menswear trade show Pitti Uomo this season, which takes place from 13 to 16 January. MM6 Maison Margiela will hold its show on 15 January at the art nouveau greenhouse Tepidarium Giacomo Roster in Florence. Unlike former Pitti guest designers (last season featured Marine Serre and Paul Smith, the season before was SS Daley and Magliano), the MM6 design team is not headed by a single, public-facing designer. Instead, the creative team behind its contemporary outerwear, accessories and separates is kept relatively anonymous. (Similarly, Margiela’s main line was led by the design team for five years between the tenures of Martin Margiela and recently departed creative director John Galliano.)

Emerging label Setchu is the second Pitti guest designer, showing on 16 January. Setchu was founded in 2020 by Japanese designer Satoshi Kuwata, who has held roles on Savile Row, at Givenchy and The North Face, all of which he says amount to a “360 design” perspective. Setchu won the LVMH Prize in 2023, and is known for modular, genderless, sculptural pieces.