FLORENCE -- Finnish designer Ervin Latimer has chosen Pitti Uomo, the men's fashion event held annually in the Renaissance city, to debut his new brand Latimmier, which aims to redefine the ways we approach masculinity in fashion and clothing.

 Despite the current challenges posed by the pandemic, Pitti Uomo 101 opens Tuesday and will run until Thursday. The event will showcase 600 brands at the Fortezza da Basso, and this year will also see the children’s edition, Pitti Immagine Bimbo 94, held on the same dates and at the same location.

 Latimmier's launch will take place at Palazzo Pucci on Wednesday, as part of the “Palazzo Finlandese” series. According to the brand's creator, “the definition of masculinity is narrow. Our new collection is not unisex, nor defined as ‘menswear’, but rather aimed at anyone who wants to highlight or examine masculinity within themselves.”

 “Fashion should liberate us, not limit us,” he says. “We challenge both who can perform masculinity and what kind of clothing can be used to do that.”

  “We also expand what Nordic fashion looks like,” added the Finnish designer. “Our collection features suits and shirts, but also dresses and skirts. Our design language draws from the history of masculine clothing with a contemporary approach and thought-through, high-quality details.”

 The word Latimmier, as well as alluding to the designer’s surname, is an Old French term meaning ‘interpreter’ or ‘translator.’

 “In addition to sustainable materials and design,” said Latimer, “we also need a deeper purpose for clothing to justify its existence. At the moment, the fashion industry seems to lead with either ecological materials, diversity or strong design vision, but our objective is to combine all of these in a meaningful way.”

 The brand aims to bring change in the fashion industry in other ways as well, whether it’s the deeper purpose of clothing or the structural ways in which diversity, care and responsibility are approached, for example the company has enacted a four-day working week.

 For Latimer, “the objectives of our company are ambitious. We want to prove that expanding masculinity with clothing is not a niche or a trendy thing that is on the surface only now. Everyone can join us on this journey towards change.”

 Ervin Latimer is a graduate from Aalto University, Helsinki, with an international career in fashion. He has featured in publications such as Vogue USA and Vogue Italy, and his work is on display at the Helsinki Design Museum. In addition to his vocation as a designer, Latimer has written and lectured on the intersections of queer culture, anti-racism, masculinity and fashion.

 The launch of Latimmier is a part of SSAW Magazine’s and Juni Communication’s ‘Palazzo Finlandese’ series, introducing Finnish designers to the international market. In 2019, the event launched Rolf Ekroth and in 2020, Fiskars by Maria Korkeila. Finland was the guest nation of Pitti Uomo in 2018. The launch is supported by Fashion in Helsinki, which is an annual event focusing on young designers and new emerging brands. Fashion in Helsinki will take place in June in the Finnish capital.

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