Twice a year · June / January
For Italian and international labels presenting the season’s kidswear, junior and newborn collections at Pitti Bimbo inside the Fortezza da Basso, who require stand uniforms, branded shoppers, atelier kits and gifts for top buyers, stylists and trade press from day one of the show.
Pitti Bimbo is the international trade show dedicated to kid, junior and newborn ready-to-wear, footwear and accessories, run by Pitti Immagine at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence. Each edition gathers Italian and European labels of the contemporary and premium segments alongside a curated set of international guest brands. The show works on a January and June cadence, with each edition framed by a thematic project that is announced in the weeks leading up to the opening and that informs the calendar of runway shows, presentations, themed areas and after-show events.
The professional audience is concentrated in the first two days: department-store buyers, specialty-store owners, online retailers, trade press and stylists. For exhibiting brands, the merch programme has to run in parallel with the collection and arrive at the stand on day one, before the buyer peak. This makes Pitti Bimbo’s production window tighter than an ordinary wholesale appointment: the average lead time for a Milan-routed Pitti Bimbo order is six to eight weeks from brief to stand delivery, with shorter windows (three to four weeks) only when stock, personalisation techniques and venue access are all locked at brief stage.
For Italian clients holding a VAT number, invoices are issued via the Agenzia delle Entrate Sistema di Interscambio (SdI) with 22% VAT in EUR; reduced rates of 4%, 5% or 10% apply to eligible product categories (books, editorial print, art pieces). Reverse charge applies to intra-EU buyers registered with VIES, split payment applies to public-administration stands, and Codice Destinatario or PEC is used for electronic delivery of the invoice. Corp-Merch.IT is a registered Italian VAT operator enrolled with VIES, and handles self-invoicing for the public administration under Italian law. For corporate clients reporting under CSRD (D.Lgs. 125/2024 transposing Directive (EU) 2022/2464) we provide a sustainability sheet per order with Scope 3 CO₂e estimates aligned with the GHG Protocol, ESRS E1 (Climate Change), E5 (Resource Use) and S2 (Workers in the Value Chain), useful for the brand’s non-financial disclosure. For programmes that reach international buyers we operate as Authorised Economic Operator (AEOF) and handle CMR, packing list, origin declaration and customs clearance for the EU, Switzerland, the UK, the United States and the Gulf countries.
For brands also exhibiting at Pitti Filati or at the parallel Pitti Uomo we activate a yearly supply contract with per-edition reviews and volume discounts on the full Pitti calendar, with a single contact for the combined management of orders, graphic briefs, samples and logistics across the year’s. For brands that also want to cover the Fuorisalone in the Florence districts of Brera, Tortona, Isola and Porta Romana, we replicate the planning with evening deliveries after 19:00, when heavy vehicles are allowed back into the ZTL areas.
Soft organic cotton T-shirts, piqué polos and light knitwear in the brand’s palette, cut for the stand crew and the hostesses. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Class I/II certification where applicable, GOTS or GRS fibres on request, and plastic-free outer packaging for stand delivery.
FSC paper shoppers with cotton handles, recycled cotton pouches, hair bows and kid-friendly stickers handed to buyers leaving the stand. Optional inclusion of brand discount codes in QR or scratch-off format, fully GDPR-compliant.
Mini notebooks, modelling sets, sewing-themed objects and limited-edition artisanal pieces for stylists and press teams covering the Pitti Bimbo runway shows. Recycled paper packaging with brand debossing or foil print.
Curated gift boxes, branded socks and small premium items segmented by buyer type (department store, specialty store, online retailer, press). Composition tailored to the brand’s top international retailers.
Before launching production, artwork, quantities, packaging and on-site recipient must be locked. Delivery address, contact, time slot and phone number must be cross-checked against the latest calendar issued by the brand’s operations office or by Pitti Immagine’s organising office: Pitti Bimbo occupies the full Fortezza da Basso complex with separate accesses for buyers, press and VIP, and the loading dock (Cavaniglia) operates on timed slots. For the Fortezza da Basso and the surrounding ZTL Area A of central Florence, early-morning or post-20:00 deliveries are normally the safest choice, with carriers familiar with the height-restricted passages of Viale Filippo Strozzi.
For an Italian programme routed via Milan, deliveries are consolidated at the hub and shipped to Florence in 24–48-hour windows via BRT, SDA, GLS or DHL Express, by appointment for venues in the ZTL. For programmes above 1,000 pieces we offer appointment delivery with phone pre-notice and, on request, on-site set-up by our staff at the stand. For materials that require controlled-environment conditions (small leather goods, artisanal objects) we coordinate climate-controlled transport with specialised partners. For clients subject to CSRD reporting (D.Lgs. 125/2024) we provide a sustainability PO sheet with Scope 3 CO₂e estimates aligned with the GHG Protocol on the Milan–Florence leg and from the indicated production districts.
For brands also covering the January edition (Pitti Bimbo 101 and subsequent odd numbers) we replicate the planning with a fresh dedicated PO, realigned to the updated Pitti Immagine calendar, and we keep continuity of suppliers and contacts to reduce the kick-off lead time.
The brief for the Pitti Bimbo programme starts with alignment on the visual references of the next season’s child collection, on the iconic elements to bring into the stand’s merch, on the items to be quoted, and on the quantities per recipient (stand staff, hostesses, models, buyers, press). Corp-Merch.IT replies with a structured proposal within 48 business hours, complete with a physical sample for the most critical pieces (cotton shoppers, mini notebooks, branded socks), technical sheets for the serial items and a base quote with prices and MOQs per tier: starter (50–249 pieces per code), standard (250–999), enterprise (1,000–4,999), corporate (5,000+).
On the artwork side we receive the brand master files (AI, EPS, PDF/X-4, CMYK images at 300 dpi) and we manage the graphic adaptation for the different techniques: digital printing on cotton and paper, embroidery on fabrics, screen printing on T-shirts and shoppers, hot stamping on small leather accessories, pad printing and laser engraving on metals and bamboo for kid-safe objects. For graphics requiring multiple versions (front row, press, buyer, end consumer) we manage versioning and intermediate approvals. Physical samples are produced and shipped to the brand for approval by the fifth week of brief; for printed small leather goods and custom artisanal objects the times extend by 1–2 weeks depending on the processing.
Standard commercial terms are 30 days from invoice, 10% confirmatory deposit on the first order for new clients, improved terms after the first 90 days of history. The invoice is issued in EUR with 22% VAT via SdI; for intra-EU buyers we apply reverse charge with integration of the letter of intent, and for public bodies we activate split payment. For corporate clients that request traceable payment to a dedicated IBAN we also replicate the reconciliation per cost centre.
For kidswear brands exhibiting at Pitti Bimbo, the safety profile of the merch counts as much as the visual identity. Children’s products in the EU are regulated by Regulation (EU) 2017/745 on medical devices where applicable, by Directive 2009/48/EC on toy safety for objects intended for use by children, and by REACH (Reg. EC 1907/2006) with SVHC declaration on chemicals. We work with Italian producers certified ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environmental management) and SA8000 or equivalent for social responsibility, holding the main certifications required by the segment: OEKO-TEX Standard 100, Class I (suitable for newborns and children up to 3 years) and Class II (children up to 6 years) on skin-contact textiles (cotton for T-shirts and shoppers, terry for kid towels, fleece for sweatshirts), GOTS on organic cotton, GRS on recycled polyester, FSC on paper and packaging (product labels, paper shoppers, mini notebooks).
For small leather accessories (Scandicci production district), the producer can issue leather traceability, tannery origin and REACH SVHC conformity. For Como and Biella textiles, the producer keeps the certificate of Italian origin and can attach, on request, a declaration of conformity with Reg. EU 1007/2011 on textile fibre designations. On packaging, paper goods producers (ecolabels, boxes, shoppers) offer FSC or PEFC and, on request, plastic-free solutions with vegetable inks, aligned with EU Regulation 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste and with D.Lgs. 152/2006 on environmental compliance.
For clients subject to CSRD reporting (D.Lgs. 125/2024, transposing Directive (EU) 2022/2464) we integrate a sustainability sheet in the PO with Scope 3 CO₂e estimates aligned with the GHG Protocol Corporate Value Chain on the Milan–Florence leg and from the production districts indicated, with references to ESRS E1 (Climate Change), E5 (Resource Use) and S2 (Workers in the Value Chain), useful for the client’s sustainability balance sheet.
Six to eight weeks is the safest window for printed textiles, custom small leather goods and limited-edition artisanal objects. Tighter programmes are possible only when stock, branding techniques and venue access are all confirmed.
Only when the brand’s operations office or Pitti Immagine has confirmed the time window, the access to the Cavaniglia loading dock and the named contact. For the Fortezza da Basso complex a carrier familiar with the ZTL Area A gates of the centre is normally needed.
Yes. The material can be packed and labelled into separate lots, one per recipient type (department store buyers, specialty-store managers, online retailers, press, VIP).
No. Corp-Merch.IT is an independent external supplier that helps the exhibiting companies prepare their merch. It does not organise, sponsor or represent Pitti Bimbo or Pitti Immagine.
Corp-Merch.IT is an independent external B2B supplier of the exhibiting companies. This page helps teams prepare their merch for the event; it does not represent Pitti Immagine, Pitti Bimbo or any sponsors of the Fortezza da Basso programme.