FLORENCE, ITALY — The fragrance boom arrived this week at Pitti Uomo as one of the fashion industry’s premier trade shows taps into the growing interest in men’s perfume as a vehicle for boosting the sale of shirts, suits and jackets.
Pitti Uomo, which finishes its four-day run on Friday, hosted 14 niche perfume brands from South Korea, Europe and India that displayed their wares in a dedicated area amid more than 700 exhibitors of clothes, shoes and accessories.
The event’s organisers decided to enshrine fragrance offerings after noticing that buyers were looking for products beyond fashion to stock their stores and consumers had begun to think of fragrance as part of their wardrobe. “It used to be that perfumes were seen as ‘invading’ apparel stores, but now those fragrances are seen as integral so it seemed normal for us to begin including them at Pitti Uomo,” said Antonio Cristaudo, the chief commercial and development officer at parent company Pitti Immagine.
While the perfume boom, which originated in the pandemic and has bolstered sales for both luxury and mass labels, has shown signs of cooling, prestige sales are still driving the beauty market’s growth into 2026, according to Circana. Retailers from Sephora to Amazon to Net-a-Porter have continued to expand their fragrance ranges toward the higher end.
Male shoppers especially are driving demand, especially for so-called niche perfumes with esoteric ingredients and origin stories. The harder they are to find, the more attractive they seem, presenting an opportunity for a global network of boutique stores.
“Younger clients don’t want to go into a perfume shop so the best place to reach them is in concept and apparel stores, which is why we wanted to show here at Pitti Uomo,” said Théo Pogu, a salesman manning the Pitti Uomo stand for French perfume brand Sora Dora.
Pitti Uomo’s fragrance initiative, dubbed Hi Beauty, comes after more than 20 editions of Pitti Fragranze, a beauty-dedicated fair in Florence in September. While that show will continue to be held, the foray of fragrances into Pitti Immagine’s marquee event is seen by the organisers and brands as a sign of the times.
“I have clients who want to match an outfit with a fragrance so it makes sense that you see perfumes at Pitti Uomo,” said Erminia Parisi, a distributor representing international brands from Korea and India. “Fragrances are now an accessory, just like a belt or bag.”
In addition to the dedicated Hi Beauty space, 17 other perfume brands had space dispersed throughout Florence’s vast trade fair. On display were a range of niche labels from throughout the world, like Sweden’s Amolm, Greece’s The Things Past and Korea’s Saranghaeyo.
In the coming editions, Pitti Uomo will likely increase the space dedicated to perfumes while also embracing other men’s beauty products, Cristaudo said. Before a final decision is taken on the future of fragrances at the show, the organisers will seek input from the perfume brands that took part in Hi Beauty.
Enthusiasm was high among the 14 brands, including with Shim Ilhwa, the founder and chief executive of the recently launched South Korean brand Organ Tale Parfums. Ilhwa is seeking to boost distribution in Europe for his fragrances, which are already available at ZGO Perfumery in San Francisco.
“Pitti Uomo is a great opportunity for us,” said Ilhwa, who has displayed twice at Pitti Fragranze. “Now we have to see what comes out of it after the show is over.”
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