Soshi Otsuki will present his work at Pitti Uomo 109 in Florence next January. Recently honored with the 2025 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, the Japanese designer has been selected to headline the trade fair’s special events program.
This announcement is a significant moment for the designer, who will present his vision in a dedicated fashion show from January 13th to 16th, 2026. Otsuki also designed the outfit featured in the campaign for the upcoming edition of Pitti Uomo.
Francesca Tacconi, Special Events Coordinator at Pitti Immagine, traveled to Tokyo to meet the designer on his home turf. Her impression was immediate and decisive.
“Meeting Soshi Otsuki in Tokyo, stepping into his world, and feeling such a natural sense of affinity left us with no hesitation. We immediately offered him a premiere at the January edition of Pitti Uomo,” Tacconi explains.
She continues with her assessment of what makes his work compelling: “In Soshi’s work, one perceives an ideal of ambitious clarity, rooted in an ongoing dialogue with a millennia-old tradition yet imbued with a modern sartorial awareness. These are worlds that coexist and intertwine. It’s a concept of ‘Made in Japan’ filtered through the lens of ‘Made in Italy’: a reference to the years of the ‘bubble economy’ in Japan in the mid-1980s, when men in Tokyo dressed in Armani and dressed Italian. Yet the language is contemporary and anti-nostalgic, recoded according to the desires of the present with an effective, albeit understated, commercial sensibility. We can’t wait to discover Soshiotsuki’s new collection in Florence, with its refined and tangible clarity of message.”
The designer’s relationship with Italy adds depth to his upcoming presentation. Fifteen years ago, Otsuki spent four years competing in an Italian competition without success. That experience made him question whether his aesthetic belonged in a Mediterranean setting.
“It has been fifteen years since I spent four years competing in an Italian competition that I ultimately did not win. At the time, I felt that Japan’s somber aesthetic did not quite belong under the bright Italian sky, and I gave up on the idea. Now, more than a decade later, I am deeply honored to present a show here in Florence. I am curious and excited to see how SOSHIOTSUKI’s clothing will be received under the Italian sky today,” Otsuki reflects.
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His return suggests a changed perspective for both the designer and the fashion industry’s understanding of what Japanese design can offer in a European context. Recognition from the LVMH Prize has validated his approach, which draws from traditional Japanese tailoring while acknowledging the influence of Italian craftsmanship on Japanese menswear during the economic boom years of the 1980s.
Otsuki’s work represents a generation of designers who grew up with global references yet maintain strong connections to their cultural heritage. His clothes speak to men who appreciate precision and restraint without sacrificing contemporary relevance.
Pitti Uomo has long served to introduce emerging talent to the international fashion community. The platform offers designers visibility among buyers, press, and industry insiders who gather in Florence twice yearly. Previous guest designers have used this opportunity to establish a presence in markets beyond their home countries.
For Otsuki, the invitation is a second chance to break into the Italian fashion scene and an opportunity to showcase his matured vision. His earlier attempt to break through in Italy occurred at a different point in his career, before he had fully developed his design philosophy or gained the confidence that comes with recognition.
The January presentation will reveal whether the intervening years have resolved the tension he once felt between Japanese sensibility and Italian surroundings. His work now carries the authority of the LVMH Prize, which has previously been awarded to designers who have gone on to build substantial international followings.
