Is the "Guest Star craze" taking away from Italian fashion? An issue of outsourced hype

The current edition of Pitti Uomo 110, which is taking place these days, is dominated by foreign designers. Little or nothing emerges in the trade press about the 720 brands present, while there is constant talk of the super foreign guests, for several years now the true media draw of Pitti: from Simone Rocha to Sunflower, passing through Kei Ninomiya, Jiyong Kim and William Palmer. At a media level, it sounds more exciting that the Italian platform of Pitti attracts more or less famous foreign talents, precisely because they certify its global appeal and relevance. It is a shame, however, that the only Italian Guest Designers of recent editions have been just Niccolò Pasqualetti and Magliano, two rising stars of Italian fashion who, incidentally, normally present in Paris. We could call it, quoting the Sanremo Festival, “Super Guest Fever”: aren’t there local designers who would deserve their own show at Pitti?

Something similar is happening with the Milan men’s schedule. Besides the handful of historic brands that almost by necessity must present in the city, the real attractions of the next season bring American names: Thom Browne and Ralph Lauren. It is not a problem that these designers show in Milan, but it is a problem that their presence has become structurally necessary to bolster a fashion show calendar increasingly populated by names (many of them also foreign) that one has to Google to recognize. On the contrary, many emerging Italian designers have to settle for the presentation format.

The implicit message in this Italian foreignophilia is twofold: on one hand, the desire is to communicate openness and cosmopolitanism, but on the other, it implies that what is produced internally is not exciting enough to stand on its own. The problem is also the prevalence of presentations. While some luxury brands feel comfortable with them, including Loro Piana and Brunello Cucinelli, a new brand that needs to establish its own narrative requires the incisiveness of a real show. And both for reputational reasons and visibility, it would be much better if these designers could have a proper show on the calendar and not a mini-presentation for one day on the outskirts of the city. Something that elsewhere, especially in London and New York, has been understood.