Put the fact that Pitti Bimbo takes place in the beautiful city of Firenze Florence to one side and Pitti Bimbo 85 was pretty for so many more reasons other than it’s location. Pretty – the Pitti Blooms theme bright, bold and energetic. Pretty – Pero asked us to go pretty in pink for ss18 and Pretty – pretty conversations of support and collaborations within the kids fashion industry. So lets chat about some of the trends, showcase some favourite collections from the show and look at the stats.
Florals for ss18
The theme of the show was #prettyblooms which turned out to be incredibly in sync and on trend with the ss18 collections. Florals were everywhere, retro florals from Paade mode, bohemian florals from Tuchinda, antique florals from Pero and of course Dolce and Gabbana florals from Dolce and Gabbana. Presentation wise florals for ss18 go with everything, mixed with stripes, animal prints or block colour. Florals, blooming marvellous for ss18.
Dolce & Gabbana
Pretty in Pink ss18
Pero, invites us to go pretty in pink for ss18. Once again an exquisite collection from Pero,incredible range of pieces in the collection, beautifully presented and beautifully made. I love Pero !
Collection favourites: Sport lux, High end tailoring, Staying true to brand personality, The dress, Emilio Pucci, Collection crush.
Sport Lux
Lamantine, a favourite collection from the show, warm greys, pinks, florals and silks mixed with sparkles and colour accents. Chic luxury with sporty accents. According to Lamantine ss18 chic can also be cool.
High End Tailoring
The Small Gatsby, a luxury high end production atelier based in Vienna. These Ladies really know what they are doing when it comes to tailoring. Recently they produced a tailored garment for child prodigy concert violinist Alma Deutscher to wear at the Life Ball Concert in Vienna. Not the easiest undertaking to provide the necessary give in the shoulder/sleeve required for a violinist whilst balancing with the fit. They pay extreme attention to quality and detail. Their bee broach from the ss18 collection crafted by the same company that produced Napolean’s broach no less. This is luxury at a high end level.
Staying true to brand personality
Velveteen returns every season with fresh covetable pieces that are true to the labels core personality. For ss18 they have the most wonderful fruity print in warm tones. Little highlights of zesty lemon and a hint of metallics of course. The collection wouldn’t be Velveteen without a touch of gold. The gorgeous fruity print makes the most fabulous wallpaper for the Velveteen showroom in the Apartment. Fresh & lovely, Velveteen ss18.
RaspberryPlum, a label that’s going from to strength to strength showcasing here their new maxi range, fun, bold and slightly crazy. Alexzandra has coined a beautiful and fun easthetic unique to RaspberryPlum staying strong and truthful to the brand. Lovely collection, and of course look out for Raspberry Plum’s fabulous and now famed photography.
The Dress
Jessie and James London, sometimes there is a piece in a collection that captures your attention. In this case it is this beautifully cut dress by Jessie and James London. It has a classic feel but with an interesting design twist. Obviously it seems we were not alone in picking ‘the dress’ as a favourite. Classic, clean but interesting.
Emilio Pucci launched their Junior line at the 85th edition of Pitti Bimbo. Whilst dining with a friend on a terrace in Firenze, Roberta Ruiu floated past with her daughter Bibi wearing the Emilio Pucci pieces (pictured below). To be honest we didn’t recognise her immediately but “WOW” was all we could both muster, really WOW. Decision made… if you like the “mini-me” thing Pucci is the only way to mother and daughter match for ss18.
Collection Crush
Tambere – Bronzer ss18. The colours are reminiscent of Moroccan dyeing vats, the textured linens are tactile and soft. Warm, fresh slightly minimalistic styling – a collection crush.
Story Telling
Acclaimed children’s fashion photographer Achim Lippoth attended the show for a booking signing of his new book STORYTELLING. The book is a remarkable depiction of childhood, truth, love and daily life according to Achim Lippoth.
Exhibitors Feedback
Many labels we chatted with signed new agents at the show and there seemed to be plenty of business going on with buyers placing good orders from Asia and the Arab States. As ever having an Italian speaker on your stand really helped to secure the Italian orders. Exhibitors seemed very happy with the 85th edition and the Pitti Blooms party certainly went down a storm!
Pitti Bimbo 85, Closing Figures and Show Stats
Pitti Bimbo 85 had an increase in foreign buyers driven by Russia, China, Netherlands, Germany and Ukraine, whilst there was a slight drop in the numbers for Italy.
Final attendance figures recorded a slight increase in foreign buyers
- Russia (+16%)
- China (+45%)
- Netherlands (+25%)
- Ukraine (+24%)
- Austria (+22%)
- There was also growth from Germany, Brazil, Portugal and the countries in the Middle Eastern area; there was substantial confirmation of the buyer figures from France and United States, whilst there was a slight drop in the numbers for Spain, United Kingdom, Turkey and Greece; Italian buyers fell by around 8%, continuing the trend that also emerged at Pitti Uomo.
Overall the fair was attended by more than 5,300 buyers – just under the result recorded a year ago, with the total number of visitors reaching around 10,000.
A word from Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine
“There was a decisively positive atmosphere at the Fortezza, in the stands we witnessed a succession of business meetings, presentations and events for buyers and press characterized by a widespread feeling of confidence. A lot of appreciation was also expressed for the special participations, the returns and the launches hosted at this edition – including Dolce & Gabbana and Roberto Cavalli Junior with their projects and events and the launch of Emilio Pucci childrenswear line – all of which were of a very high profile. There were also many positive comments about the new projects and the sections dedicated to research and lifestyle which, season after season, expand the boundaries of the kids’ universe”.
Pitti’s top 20 reference markets buyer breakdown
- Russia (207 buyers)
- China (181)
- Spain (155 buyers)
- Germany (154)
- Netherlands (107)
- United Kingdom (106)
- France (94)
- Ukraine (83)
- Belgium (72)
- Turkey (67)
- Greece (54)
- Poland (49)
- Austria (43)
- United States (40)
- Lebanon (37)
- Japan (36)
- Brazil 34)
- Portugal (33)
- United Arab Emirates (32)
- Switzerland (28).
Chiao Chiao, Pitti Bimbo 85 !
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