What I'm aiming for is a fusion of classic and sophisticated street style.

---

I've been going to Pitti for about six years now. You might be wondering why I, a street fashion guy, go to Pitti, but thanks to my father's influence, I actually love classic Italian style. My father was a huge fan of clothes, so we've been going to the same select shop for two generations. Now I'm the one who goes there as a customer, and even on my first time at Pitti, the buyers showed me around. They introduced me to all sorts of people, and I've made lots of friends.


I had imagined the Pitti venue would be full of stiff, classic-looking people in suits and leather shoes, but that wasn't the case at all. There were lots of people in suits with sneakers, and I remember thinking how cool they looked. I wanted to try that kind of styling myself, so I started imitating the look of combining a jacket with sneakers. On my blog, I even took pictures of Italian men in sneaker style next to the LEON SNAP booth and featured them there. Those snapshots are still on my blog. Now, there are even people not wearing jackets at all, and I think the street casualization of Italian men is progressing at an incredible pace.

Ever since my student days, I've thought the fashion style of Italian guys was really cool. I even studied Italian at university. I thought it would be great to be able to communicate in Italian. It's the same reason why I love sneakers and street fashion and wanted to be able to communicate with shop staff in English.


I learned after going to Pitti Uomo that Italian fashionistas don't always wear suits; they all have experience with street fashion. Today I'm wearing a jacket by Gabriele Pasini, and apparently Mr. Pasini is also a big fan of Supreme and Nike. I like suits, but one of the things I enjoy about Pitti is getting excited talking about street fashion with Italians.


I've been trying to imitate styling like pairing a jacket with sneakers, which I saw at Pitti. I also mix my own brand with classic brands. Italian guys are really good at that kind of fashion sense. It makes me think that fashion is something everyone can enjoy freely. I also want to do adult street fashion, so I think the Isetan event where designers and directors from brands exhibiting at Pitti come to Japan is a great opportunity for anyone who likes Italian fashion.

Information gathered directly from the people involved is definitely valuable, and more importantly, it's fun for you!

---

▼ 1. Tomohiro Inaba (Mitsukoshi Isetan Buyer)
▼ 2. Tomoka Takada (Creative Director, "Colony Clothing")
▼ 3. Mika Hirose (Model/Talent)
▼ 4. KING MASA
▼ 5. Hiroshi Ishii (Editor-in-Chief of 'LEON' magazine)

---