MILAN — Niccolò Pasqualetti’s upcoming trip to Florence marks both a homecoming and an entirely new journey.

Born and raised in Tuscany before setting out on an international career in fashion design at marquee luxury brands, the creative is showing in the city as one of this season’s guest designers at menswear trade show Pitti Uomo.
 
While taking pride in the invitation, he embraced it primarily as a challenge.
 
“I was very enthusiastic. For me, [Pitti has] always been very tied to traditional, classical menswear — cutting-edge at times, but still within the boundaries of classicism. It’s very distant from my point of view albeit part of the same language [fashion], so being part of it feels special, and it bears a message,” Pasqualetti said in an interview as he was prepping the show looks.

An alum of The Row, Loewe and Alighieri, Pasqualetti’s androgynous designs are supported by a sustainable and artisanal approach, which has netted him a grant at the Camera Moda Fashion Trust’s 2023 and 2024 editions. He was also among the 2024 LVMH Prize finalists.

Since founding his eponymous brand in 2021, he has regularly shown his collection during Paris Fashion Week, landing on the official schedule for spring 2025 and grabbing the attention of retailers including H. Lorenzo, Moda Operandi, The Broken Arm, Boontheshop and Dover Street Market Ginza, New York and Los Angeles.

Known for defying gender norms and offering a wardrobe that is both intellectually charged and emotionally led, Pasqualetti doesn’t really mind labels being attached to his work.

“Since the beginning, I’ve never attributed any specific gender to my collections. The market labeled them as womenswear, also because I’m showing during the women’s fashion week in Paris, but at the same time, nobody really tried to over-define my garments,” he said.

“I’ve never liked categories, but I do acknowledge that retail requires some distinction, so I’m kind of glad that my fashion has been often seen as women’s, because it opens up an opportunity for me to show a different side of my work in Florence,” he said.

Describing the spring 2026 collection as menswear-driven would be not only an overstatement, but also contradictory to Pasqualetti’s creative approach.

“All my collections start from an abstract point of view, distilling the attitude of a certain kind of person, which I don’t want to define, but maybe, someone that identifies themselves with a certain archetype,” he explained.

“A lot of my creative choices are driven by gut feelings and instinct that I then try to connect to and root in reality, avoiding that they live only in fantasy,” he said. “This show won’t be about displaying womenswear on men, this was not the goal, but rather provide a different point of view on dressing,” he said.

Pasqualetti will stage a second show at Paris Fashion Week in September, but for his spring 2026 Florentine showcase he will reflect on clichés aiming to twist a notion of masculinity, dressing mannishly, and traditional Italian elegance.

“What’s traditionally considered a menswear classic? What’s the undercurrent to certain materials? These are all questions I asked myself, knowing clothing holds a symbolic meaning,” he said.

Although he declined to get into the specifics of the collection, the designer said he started from familiar silhouettes reconfigured via new proportions, details and even contradictions. For example, he decontextualized natural materials, including the shirting-appropriate cotton popeline or linen, here plied into unexpected pieces.

His Pitti Uomo morning show scheduled for Thursday is taking place at the Cavea del Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the open-air terrace space of the city’s leading theater.

Pasqualetti said he fell in love with the venue instinctually, drawn to its minimalist stone bleachers that create a maze-like pattern. “I think it’s an installation in a way, with the combination of stones, metals and the view overlooking the river Arno. It’s structured, but abstract in a way,” he said.

Building the show collection fueled also a reflection on his native land. Beyond rooting the collection’s color palette in a range of neutrals — a designer favorite — inspired by the hues of the hill-rich region’s landscape, he is also celebrating Tuscan craftsmanship.

One of the many Italian districts building the backbone of Made in Italy, the region has long been a renowned hub of fashion manufacturing, particularly praised for its tanneries, leather goods workshops and garment-making ateliers.

“As a kid in Tuscany I never thought of the region as an epicenter of fashion, despite growing up surrounded by manufacturers,” Pasqualetti said. “It was very natural for me to know all these companies and yet they did not speak to the entirety of my vision of fashion.”

As is often the case, his appreciation for craftsmanship grew stronger as he discovered the global appeal and value of Made in Italy when working for international designer brands.

“It’s something unique, it encapsulates rare know-how and craftsmanship, so when I launched my namesake brand, I committed to value this world,” Pasqualetti explained. “Tuscany is one of the points of reference for it, which I think is destined to endure any headwind. The world will always seek high-quality, special products.”

Putting craft at the center of his fashion offering aligns with Pasqualetti’s ambition to keep building his self-sustained, sustainably growing indie brand.

To be sure, compared to designers from the previous couple of generations, he belongs to a cohort of up-and-coming talents valuing independence over corporate backing.

“I want the brand to remain independent and self-sufficient. Over the past few years, we have seen fast growth, but my main goal is for it to be long-lasting, and to be able to keep working on timeless, durable garments — and never compromise or give up on my creative freedom,” he said.