The historic menswear fair Pitti Uomo, which takes place twice-yearly in Florence, has a long tradition of drafting guest designers to be its headline act.
This stop on menswear month – it begins proceedings before editors travel onwards to Milan and Paris – attracts them with the opportunity to show in some of Florence’s eclectic landmarks, from Renaissance palaces and church cloisters to countryside piles and disused tobacco factories.
There was Craig Green, who showed in the Boboli Gardens at dusk; Grace Wales Bonner, who lined the Palazzo Medici Riccardi with an installation by artist Ibrahim Mahama; and Martine Rose, who turned an ancient marketplace into an Italo-disco nightclub. Raf Simons, Virgil Abloh, Yohji Yamamoto and Paul Smith, as well as fashion houses Givenchy, Fendi and Jil Sander, have also previously been part of the line-up.
Simone Rocha will have her menswear moment at June’s Pitti Uomo
(Image credit: William Waterworth)
And today (18 March 2026) it has been announced that Ireland-born, London-based designer Simone Rocha will be the first guest designer for the S/S 2027 season, which will take place this June. Known for her transporting collections that marry the sweet and the subversive – often drawing on folklore and traditions from her native Ireland – Rocha established the eponymous label after graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2010, winning numerous accolades, including British Womenswear Designer of the Year at the 2024 Fashion Awards.
Rocha first introduced menswear in 2022, shown concurrently on the runway with her womenswear offering as part of her S/S 2023 collection (she has done so at her presentations since). ‘There is a crossover of ideas and emotion, and influences of fabrications and silhouettes – they are coming from one place but each is their own individual character that responds and reacts to [the other],’ she explained to Wallpaper* at the time.
Her menswear pieces find similar juxtapositions to those of her womenswear, marrying utilitarian garments – cargo pants, bomber jackets, parkas and the like – with more romantic flourishes, from floral prints and embroidery to beaded and pearl embellishment, as well as a use of lace and tulle. They are pieces she hopes ‘challenge the archetypes of masculinity’.
A menswear look from Simone Rocha’s A/W 2026 menswear show, which took place in February during London Fashion Week
(Image credit: Ben Broomfield)
The Pitti Uomo show, though, will mark Rocha’s first standalone menswear presentation. ‘I would like to thank Pitti Uomo for their generous invitation to present my first independent menswear show on the men’s calendar,’ she said in a statement today, noting that she will use the occasion to show ‘the length and breadth of [her] menswear proposition… [and] a new chapter in my work and world.’
As yet, it has not been announced where in Florence she will choose to hold the runway presentation; though, having shown in numerous historic addresses in London, including the Old Bailey, former royal residence Lancaster House and the Alexandra Palace Theatre, expect the location to be suitably dramatic.
‘From the very beginning, Simone Rocha’s garments capture the eye, ignite the imagination, and stir emotions,’ says Francesca Tacconi, special events coordinator at Pitti Immagine. ’At a time when part of menswear seems to be leaning toward more cautious stylistic choices, Simone remains true to herself and to her vision. She does not follow trends, she creates them and draws us into her world.’
Pitti Uomo will run from 16-19 June 2026 in Florence.
TOPICS