A special event hosted by Ann Demeuelemeester, originally scheduled to take place at Pitti Uomo this month, has been postponed until June due to COVID-19 concerns.
Though the legendary Belgian brand won't make an appearance, Pitti Uomo — a twice-yearly menswear trade show based in Florence — is still expected to take place from January 11 to 13 in an IRL format.
Lapo Cianchi, head of communication at Pitti Immagine (the show's organizer), noted that the evolving nature of the omicron variant "prevents the holding of individual events in the right form, with all the necessary characteristics."
First announced in November 2021, the event has been pushed to Pitti Uomo's June edition. Despite postponement, it follows several monumental developments for the brand.
In 2020, Ann Demeuelemeester was acquired by Italian retailer Claudio Antonioli. The deal was inked shortly after Sébastian Meunier departed as creative director of the label, which he took over in 2010 — three years before Demeulemeester stepped back from fashion.
Under the advisory of Demeulemeester, Antonioli is ushering the label into a new era. An in-house team designs all collections, and nearly all manufacturing has moved from Belgium to Italy.
Earlier this year, the label reopened its historic flagship store in Antwerp, which houses apparel alongside Demeulemeester's homeware products — an endeavor the designer launched in 2019.
It's not entirely clear whether the event will eventually manifest as a conversation between Demeuelmeester herself and Antonioli, or something entirely different.
Whatever it ends up being — and whenever it ends up taking place — here's hoping we get the lowdown on Ann D.'s very first fragrance, news of which broke in March.
