Why Did 180 People Just Parade Through Florence in Suits?
Other participants had traveled from as far as Bangkok, Taiwan and Tokyo, Yasutake says. Louis Chen, a technology executive and part-time DJ, flew from Taiwan to attend the Suit Walk. He has 21,000 followers on Instagram. His walk look featured a gray three-piece suit, with a navy checked overcoat, accessorized with a houndstooth scarf, a floral scarf and a blue and red striped bow tie. Tuesday marked his third Suit Walk, having previously attended two of the events in Japan. “I’ve flown from Taiwan three times to Sebiro Sanpo. I know the organizers very well and I’m pretty much tied into the menswear industry in Japan 1768393765,” he says. “I am so happy [Sebiro Sanpo] is now at Pitti. I cannot believe how many people are involved. I think the number of people involved today is more than what they have in Japan. So it’s wonderful… I’m really touched.”
VBC is focused on scaling its Japanese business right now, which is how Barberis Canonico and his team became aware of Sebiro Sanpo. The mill’s Japanese ambassador Yoshimi Hasegawa introduced the two organizations. In addition to the Pitti Uomo Suit Walk, VBC also sponsored Sebiro Sanpo’s 6th Suit Walk in Osaka last year, to boost awareness of its textiles in Japan.
While public attention is the main goal of the Suit Walk, to promote tailoring to the masses, Vitale Barberis Canonico also wants to attract the attention of the 750 brands exhibiting at Pitti Uomo, as potential clients. The manufacturer has activated at Pitti before, via a rock ‘n’ roll event at tailor shop Liverano. During this edition, it hosted a cocktail party in the same venue after the walk.
“Obviously, we are more business-to-business, we don’t own stores or sell suits. We’re an ingredient brand,” Barberis Canonico says. “We want people to be aware of our fabrics and our history. Whether it’s for their first job interview, their first wedding, or they just want to buy their first suit, we are there to cater for [the next generation]. These days, they can find our fabrics on the internet and hopefully they will choose us. We’re hoping they will get bored of tracksuits and sneakers.”
This isn’t the first time Sebiro Sanpo has worked with a brand. The non-profit was provided with outreach support and a venue by Mitsubishi Estate on its fifth event in Japanese city Marunouchi. It also collaborated with Barbour on a Tokyo event last year. The brand provided wax jackets for the six founders to layer over their suits.
Though sponsorship is helpful for scaling the concept in new cities, Sebiro Sanpo aims to be brand neutral where possible. That’s why it felt right to partner with a mill rather than a brand at Pitti, allowing the suits for participants to remain “brand neutral” and “ensuring that lovers of any suit brand can participate equally”. The next Sebiro Sanpo event is planned to take place within Japan, Yasutake says. “While future walks are currently undecided, we have seen increasing global interest, with participants traveling from Taiwan, Thailand and Korea to join our recent events in Japan,” he adds.
As for the Florence event, content has already been flooding the feed, from public onlookers and influencers alike. “Unlike static mannequins or catalogs, seeing people actually wearing the suits and walking through the streets communicates the texture of the fabric and the beauty of tailoring in a ‘living’ form,” Yasutake continues. “Walking through public spaces allows the general public to see [this type of] dressing firsthand, helping to redefine it as something approachable and relevant.”
