Rain and Renaissance - Hikerdelic hits Italy

Twice a year the great, good and downright weird descend on the beautiful city of Florence for a festival of menswear known at Pitti Uomo. 

It's a long established tradeshow with a real Italian flavour, with legions of pastel-suited peacocks punctuating the hordes of hot, sweaty fashion buyers from around the world. 

Brands that make straw hats are there. Others offer swimwear, through the medium of semi-clad models, both male and female. It's as close to the catwalk as Hikerdelic is ever likely to get. This year was also the first time we have found ourselves participating in the event as more than just visitors. 

Hikerdelic as a brand has been on a journey this last few years, and showing our SS24 range at Pitti is a bit of a landmark occasion. 

Housed alongside the likes of Snow Peak, KEEN, Teva, Yogi and Cotopaxi in an area known as I GO OUT, Hikerdelic stood out for its colour and character. 

Old friends called to the stand to say hello and new connections were made, and despite an uncharacteristic downpour in the middle of the week, the atmosphere was upbeat. Those lads posing for pictures though... try that in Piccadilly Gardens. 

This is a side to the so-called fashion industry the end consumer doesn't always see. It can sometimes be gatekept away from consumers either because it's not deemed of interest to them, or the industry likes to keep the inner workings of itself a little more mysterious. In this age of content being king, though, we are more than happy to show what we've been up to. Even if you're not interested!

Take a look at some of the highlights of the trip and whether you're an industry insider or someone who just likes some of our t-shirts, hopefully you'll get a glimpse at one of the highlights of our year, building a brand and trying to leave our stamp on the world.