By Agnese Augusta Patriarca Bertoli. Cover image by Soshi Otsuki Spring Summer 2026.
Who is Soshi Otsuki, Guest Designer at Pitti Uomo
Soshi Otsuki and his eponymous brand are set to take centre stage as a guest designer at the January 2026 edition of Pitti Uomo in Florence, showcasing his extremely contemporary yet tradition related designs at the Salone. Motion is the theme and it really looks like this match couldn’t have been done better. Soshiotsuki is a menswear focused brand, founded in 2015 by Soshi Otsuki, winner of the 2025 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers 2025. The fashion designer was born in 1990 in Chiba, Japan, and studied menswear at Banuka Fashion College.
His creations draw inspiration from Japanese performative arts and their traditional attire, while bringing back silhouettes and colors from “baburu keiki”, the economic bubble in which Japan thrived during the 1980s, when Japanese city salesmen wore Italian Armani suits and famously fell asleep in the metro stations after long working days.
Soshi Otsuki’s Signature Style: 80s Cuts and Samurai Codes
Big shoulders, loose-fit trousers, folded edges and kimono-inspired cutouts make Soshi Otsuki’s designs true time machines, bridging past and future. While 1980s silhouettes and traditional costumes might instinctively evoke nostalgia, Otsuki’s creations feel fresh, modern and soft. Versatile and striking, his garments showcase a vision that is both breathtaking and urgently needed in today’s menswear landscape, where much of fashion can feel either too basic or impractical for daily wear.
Grey times call for super clear visions, and Soshiotsuki’s is more than clear, it’s brilliant. Now more than ever, the hunger for pompous bank accounts is back, kids no longer dream of becoming astronauts; they want to be billionaires. Are we hopelessly delusional, or is this a symptom of a great need for security? Regardless, great tailoring and exceptionally well thought details are definitely a perfect starting point. Otsuki’s designs also tap into a sense of fantasy and duality: a businessman by day, a samurai in the gloomy Japanese nights.
Why Soshi Otsuki’s Show at Pitti 109 Matters
Next edition of Pitti Uomo, taking place January 13–16, 2026 at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence, will not only bring a breeze of fresh air to western-focused fashion but also hold deep personal meaning for Soshi Otsuki. More than a decade ago, he tried to participate in a competition here in Italy and was rejected four times — yes, yet another brilliant mind facing rejection, what a cliché!
As Soshi Otsuki shared about his journey ahead of Pitti Uomo 109: “It has been fifteen years since I spent four years competing in an Italian competition that I ultimately did not win. At the time, I felt that Japan’s somber atmosphere did not quite belong under the bright Italian sky, and perhaps I gave up on the idea. Now, more than a decade later, I am deeply honored to be able to present a show here in Florence. I am curious and excited to see how SOSHIOTSUKI’s clothing will resonate under the Italian sky today”.
Reading Soshi Otsuki’s words, I couldn’t help but think of Banana Yoshimoto’s great books and the incredible atmospheres she creates —a Japan dominated by nostalgic air and characters that I easily can imagine wearing Otsuki’s garments.
All in all, we are thrilled to welcome with open hearts and minds this extraordinary designer and his work that while coming from a place so far somehow feels like home.
