After going back and forth with Milan about the women’s ready-to-wear schedule, the BFC stuck it to Florence by setting its second London Collections: Men for January 7 to 9, which will overlap with Pitti Uomo, to be held from January 8 to 11. Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine, said he was surprised to learn about the dates, telling WWD, “In what is such a delicate moment for half of the world’s economies, while fashion fair organizers are all working hard to draw up an international calendar that will increase the efficiency and coherence of the work carried out by buyers and journalists and, at the same time, minimize costs, it seems that the board of the BFC is taking none of this into account.” The BFC recognizes that the situation is “not ideal,” but feels it’s the “only solution” this time around, citing reasons like returning samples to designers, factories closing, and Christmas. So, which side will be the first to announce its show dates through 2036?
