Streetwear Label PDF Brings New Cool to Menswear
Fashion

Streetwear Label PDF Brings New Cool to Milan Menswear

The bold brand, beloved by celebrities from Central Cee to Lewis Hamilton, is making its runway debut. Founder Domenico Formichetti reflects on his journey.

It already had co-signs from stars like Drake, Rihanna, Lewis Hamilton and Central Cee. Now, PDF — the label founded by designer Domenico Formichetti — is making its official runway debut at Milan Fashion Week Men’s. It’s part of a play to boost awareness of the brand outside of its close-knit community of young Italian fans (many of whom will be queuing up on Friday night outside of the show).

With its bold, painted denim, streetwear and cartoonish oversized sneakers, PDF is a far cry from the usual fashion we see in Milan, bringing fresh energy to a quieter schedule this season. In a city known for tailoring and luxe fabrics, PDF is a reimagining of what ‘Made in Italy’ menswear could look like: fun, gender fluid and rooted in youth culture.

Originally from Chieti, a small town in central Italy’s Abruzzo region, 32-year-old Formichetti moved to Milan 12 years ago. He launched PDF in 2023 and has already secured 60 stockists, including Ssense, H Lorenzo (Los Angeles), Labels (Amsterdam), The Webster (New York), Nubian (Tokyo), Mannahatta (New York) and Antonioli (Milan). Wholesale currently represents half of sales. And over the last 12 months, PDF has doubled its revenue; it now sits in the low-seven-figure range, Formichetti says.

Central Cee wearing PDF trousers. Photo: Courtesy of PDF

Formichetti previously founded youthful luxury streetwear brand Formy, known for dark palettes and its association with rappers like Young Thug and Travis Scott. But he decided to close the brand in 2022. Unlike PDF, Formy consisted of more basic streetwear pieces, focused on logos. “My first brand was an important part of my journey, but I felt like I had outgrown it creatively,” he explains. “Closing it gave me the opportunity to start fresh with PDF and create something that felt more aligned with where I am now.”

All of PDF’s garments are developed in a village called Marotta, close to Formichetti’s hometown. “That’s where the central part of the company is,” he says. “It worked out well because most of the clothing factories in Italy are in Abruzzo, and I know the area so well.”

Focusing on the clothes

Last June, during Milan Men’s Week, PDF staged an off-schedule show-cum-music festival in the city’s Ex Macello community centre. There were a handful of looks (modelled by the likes of actor Arón Piper and NFL running back Alvin Kamara) and performances from Italian rappers Capo Plaza, Tedua and Tony Effe (naturally all wearing PDF). Despite 2,000 people showing up, Formichetti wasn’t happy with the outcome.

“Oh my god, it was crazy,” he says. “I had to [coordinate] all the rappers myself because I didn’t have a production team. And I wasn’t that happy when I finished. It was big, people really liked it, but the attention was more on the event than on the collection.”

This season, Formichetti is “focused on the clothes”, staging a more traditional runway show and a much bigger collection, with new styles of painted denim, outerwear and accessories. It is inspired by ’90s and noughties hip-hop culture and the “energy of the streets during that time”, he says. “I was watching a lot of music videos and films like Baby BoyMenace II SocietyPaid in Full and Boyz n the Hood while designing.”

Outdoor sports like snowboarding also influenced the collection, especially in terms of proportions and layering. “This season, we experimented with new fabrics and introduced silhouettes like blazers and overalls, which added a new dimension to the line-up,” he adds.

While dialling up its marketing and building cultural relevance through the Milan show, the designer is keen to keep prices down, as to avoid alienating the young consumer who is increasingly price sensitive in the current climate. PDF’s ready-to-wear ranges from around £200 for a T-shirt to £978 for a coat, while footwear retails between £300 and £500. Higher ticket items like outerwear and shoes sell through best. Looking ahead, he’s developing handbags, to capitalise on the demand for investment pieces.

Boosting visibility

Formichetti worked with a list of producers on an original soundtrack for the show. And while it will adopt a more traditional runway format this time, the models’ movements will “create a story”, he says, tight-lipped on the details. The aim is to stand out against the other brands on the schedule (which, although quieter in terms of big names this season, will still deliver 16 shows and 45 presentations). “There are so many brands out there, the biggest challenge is to compete on visibility,” he says. “I want to be like, ‘Hey! I’m here!’”

Since launching his first brand, Formichetti has become an influencer in his own right, with almost 200,000 followers on his personal Instagram, where he posts about his aspirational lifestyle (a playbook employed by the founders of most younger streetwear and contemporary labels, from Corteiz to Represent).

Formichetti is known for exciting, unexpected campaigns. Photo: Courtesy of PDF

PDF’s associations with music also drive brand awareness and sales. When Drake wore a pair of custom (gifted) PDF shoes in 2023, the buzz was “immediate”, Formichetti says, and the label saw an uptick in engagement with its social channels and website. “Another standout moment was when Central Cee wore the No Name Pant to an NFL game three months ago,” he adds. “It sparked a noticeable jump in sales and introduced the brand to a wider audience.” Formichetti met Central Cee in Paris last year, when he hand-delivered custom trousers for Central Cee’s friend, rapper Asake. Soon enough, the star was requesting looks to wear himself.

Formichetti spends a lot of time in LA with friends and travels frequently in Europe, so he’s been able to make organic connections with celebrities that become fans of the brand. More recently, music artist Lil Yachty starred in PDF’s Spring/Summer 2025 campaign, alongside community members who were discovered at an open casting.

Friday’s show will be 600 capacity, with around 150 community members and brand fans in the audience. “I wish it could be more,” Formichetti smiles. “I don’t like to do things small.”

Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected].


This article was originally published on Vogue Business.

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