Immersion
Florence in January is alive with menswear. The Fortezza da Basso becomes a crossroads where founders, designers, editors, and craftsmen gather — not just to show collections, but to exchange ideas, share drinks, and see where men’s fashion is headed.
At Pitti Uomo 107, I wasn’t just walking through exhibitions. I was part of conversations — about fabrics, silhouettes, the way culture informs style. Days blurred into nights of dinners, parties, and late talks with people who, like me, were shaping their own paths in fashion. Everyone dressed to be photographed. It is a world, where the craftsmanship and careful curation of one's looks is taken seriously.
It was here I connected with the Japanese makers who now produce JOCO’s shoe care products. We spoke, sometimes through an Italian translator, often with gestures and laughter filling the gaps. Their brand has been around providing speciality leather care for over 80 years. At the store, their team from Japan was accompanied by their Italian translator and support who has worked with them for a very long time. A key attraction at their booth was that they would meticulously clean the shoe. You could walk there, hand them your shoe, "the professor" as they called him will examine the shoe and get working on it. It was a delight to observe the sincerely of the effort. They cleaned my JOCO shoes right there, and soon, i was sure this was the level of product quality I wanted to offer as part of JOCO's leather care. Those are the kinds of moments that define Pitti — not just presentations, but friendships that carry forward.
