The Exhibitionists of Pitti Immagine Uomo
By Minn Hur
One of the most prominent men’s fashion trade shows, Pitti Immagine Uomo (PIU), is held twice every year at Fortezza da Basso Palazzo in Florence, Italy. PIU has become known for the highly elaborated fashion of its attendees rather than the actual content of the exhibition. The street photography of these “fashionable” men has been virally disseminated on social media and other media platforms, tagged with #pittiuomo, #menswear, #sprezzatura, and the like for the past several years. The overtly performative sartorial presentation of the men at PIU has been the subject of both inspiration and criticism by a number of menswear enthusiasts and critics. This distinctive fashion phenomenon seems worthwhile to be examined through a psychoanalytic and sociological lenses.
On the surface level, the extravagant exhibitionism of PIU might seem to be a product of “conspicuous consumption” (Veblen’s term) as an honorary and pecuniary standard. However, this phenomenon is too complex to be simplified by only conspicuous consumption of the opulent strata especially because the attendees’ actual socio-economic status is often not equivalent to their appearances. Except for the actual participants such as buyers and brands, other attendees’ main purpose of visiting PIU is to be photographed. Many of these attendees even hire their own photographers to take photos of them around the trade show, while pretending to be photographed by third party press in the streets. In this regard, men (and women) at PIU utilize their highly embellished fashion styles as a means of social mobility.
Aside from their exaggerated sense of style, use of details, and vibrant colors, another distinctive quality of the PIU men is their tendency to be grouped together. The most imperative feature of the exhibitionists of PIU is their uniformity and conformity, which is, I believe, deeply rooted in our basic psychic motivation of desire for belonging (I find it similar to the characteristic of subculture of cult). In his book, “Sane Society,” Erich Fromm insinuates his skeptical views on self-estranged modern men living in twentieth-century capitalism, and he explains that one of the most negative characteristics is their need to conform. According to Fromm, conformity is the result of, “the need to feel a sense of identity.” He says:
“The need to feel a sense of identity stems from the very condition of human existence, and it is the source of the most intense strivings. Since I cannot remain sane without the sense of “I,” I am driven to do almost anything to acquire this sense. Behind the intense passion for status and conformity is this very need, and it is sometimes even stronger than the need for physical survival.”
Fromm’s concept of striving for “the sense of self” is still very applicable to numerous conditions that exists in the modern world, especially in terms of the desire to conform. In this respect, the fashion phenomenon at PIU could be seen as the manifestation of conformity and status anxiety. That is to say, these men utilize their fashion personas in a group to fulfill a sense of existence even if it is illusory. From a sociological perspective, these men exploit fashion to build false personas in efforts to free themselves from status anxiety, ultimately creating an invidious dynamic between wearers and the viewers. According to Fromm, these men that identify strongly with PIU can be grouped with the self-estranged or self-alienated modern man who obsessed with developing their socio-economic positions. When Fromm describes “modern” conformists, he tacitly criticizes their irrational and “unhealthy” submission to an authority or a group, saying, “Feeling inferior stems from feeling different, and no question is asked whether the difference is for the better or the worse,” and also, “Virtue is to be adjusted and to be like the rest. Vice, to be different.” In contrast, people who possess an egoistic personality would say that virtue is to individualize and vice is to conform. Many may argue that the men of PIU are unique and may disagree that they are conformist, however, upon closer observation there is a clear pattern in their appearance: the lapel shapes, cropped trousers, shoes, and the neapolitan style that they borrow. It is another instance of conformity. From a Benthamian point of view, one could argue that if these men acquire both pleasure and warmth from this sense of belonging, then it should be considered productive and “good”. Fromm, however, would argue that in its roots, the men are only able to feel this sense of pleasure because it allows them to enhance their socio-economic value.
Whether this sartorial conformity is positive or negative, it is more important to understand that the exhibitionism at PIU is not only a product of our psyche, but it is a multi-faceted phenomenon. I refuse to simply standardize the men of PIU as a group of conforming orientation. In fact, there are three types of people at PIU: visionary leaders, followers, and observers. The leaders possess creative talent and actively create new sartorial styles in order to distinguish themselves from the masses. The group of followers are excellent imitators that are quick to adapt a new popular style, but lack creative capacity. The observers are street photographers who document these starting and passing of trends that act to also accelerate the spread of these new trends through media platforms such as Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. These three groups, more importantly, symbiotically coexist. Without leaders there can be no followers and without a subject there can be no observers. The power of marketing through these media platforms cannot be underestimated. In fact, social media has been a leading method in brand promotion, advertisement, and growth. PIU attendees have successfully increased brand reputation and popularity. Considering these facts, it is intriguing to assess how these photos have been able to gain wide popularity among male users. As I mentioned, it appears that these photos serve as aspiration and generate a sense of fantasy. The men of PIU, in other words, represent a lifestyle worth aspiring to, but the irony exists in that much of the image that they have built is a facade.
