Fashion week refers to a glamorous fashion event that lasts about a week. During the show, many of the renowned fashion houses or brands and designers exhibit their best collections in numerous fashion shows to the media and the public. Every designer dreams of presenting their models during fashion week, as this event influences the trends for the current and ongoing season. During the busiest week of the year in the fashion industry, influencers, designers, models and fashion pursuers from around the world come together to watch the new collections from a list of iconic designers. The most important industrial events are usually held in fashion capitals around the world.
The capitals of fashion
A fashion capital is a city with the main influence on international fashion trends, where retail, design and the production of fashion products and even fashion events generate significant economic production. The global “the four great” capitals of the 20 th century are New York, London, Milan and Paris. The fashion scene has become less bipolar during 21 stscentury and included other crucial cities such as Los Angeles, Sao Paulo, Rome, Barcelona and Berlin. Historically, numerous major cities have been the fashion capitals. In the Renaissance period, several cities in modern Italy were the main trendsetters in Europe due to the cultural power they had at that time. These cities included Venice, Milan, Genoa, Florence, Naples and Rome. During the 17 th century the Spanish court was the capital while in the 16 th century, with the influence of the royal family, the court of the English royal family became the capital of British fashion.
Origin of the fashion week
Although the fashion week is glamorous right now, it has never been so colorful when it started. The idea of a fashion week began in Paris when many marketers hired women to shape their haute couture items to the public. These ladies wore the couture object and paraded from the slopes to the salons. Gradually these fashion shows became fashionable social events in which marketing professionals would show the latest fashion models. In 1903, Ehrich Brothers organized the first fashion show in New York with the main goal of attracting middle-class women to their store. At the end of 1910, several department stores held their fashion shows. American retailers have seen these events as fashion shows and have decided to use the idea to market their stores. These fashion shows were quite useful and helped improve the status of many stores. By the end of the 1920s, many retail stores throughout the United States had used fashion shows. The first fashion shows were often held in restaurants during tea or lunch, and they were more theatrical than those held today, strongly based on a theme and accompanied by a narrative commentary. The shows were famous and attracted people by the thousands. The crowd was so large that the shops had to get a license to perform live shows in New York during the 1950s. many retail stores throughout the United States had used fashion shows. The first fashion shows were often held in restaurants during tea or lunch, and they were more theatrical than those held today, strongly based on a theme and accompanied by a narrative commentary. The shows were famous and attracted people by the thousands. The crowd was so large that the shops had to get a license to perform live shows in New York during the 1950s. many retail stores throughout the United States had used fashion shows. The first fashion shows were often held in restaurants during tea or lunch, and they were more theatrical than those held today, strongly based on a theme and accompanied by a narrative commentary. The shows were famous and attracted people by the thousands. The crowd was so large that the shops had to get a license to perform live shows in New York during the 1950s.
The first week of fashion
The first fashion week was the event held in New York at 1943 with the aim of offering fashion buyers an alternative to French fashion during the Second World War, when fashion industry workers were unable to to go to Paris. The fashion shows were organized in different places such as lofts and hotels until 1994. The events took place in Bryant Park in a tent just behind the New York Public Library, from 1994 to 2009. From 2010 to the end of 2015 the The headquarters of the fashion week was Lincoln Center before moving to Clarkson Square in Soho.
The big four
Although there are many fashion weeks around the world, the most commercialized shows are the events organized in the Big Four. The Big Four includes fashion week events held in New York, Milan, London and Paris. As mentioned earlier, the first New York Fashion Week was held in 1943. The Italian Chamber of Commerce established the Milan event of 1958 and the British Fashion Council founded the London shows in 1984. Although Paris started to host couture shows in 1945, the Paris Fashion Week was organized under the French Fashion Federation in 1973.
Types of fashion week shows
During the fashion week, there are mainly two types of shows, women’s and men’s clothing. There are particular shows for these two categories held in different places, for example numerous haute couturethe events are organized in Paris, while the nuptial exhibitions are in New York. Due to the rules established by the Chamber-Syndicate de la Haute Couture, Paris is the only city that hosts the Haute Couture events. Many designers showcase their collection between the spring / summer and autumn / winter seasons. These events are more commercial than the main shows and help promote existing trends. The designers organize their fashion shows within the three months following the main event and many designers show their inter-seasonal projects outside their homes. Some fashion weeks are gender specific. For example, the Rio Summers and Miami fashion week are both characterized by swimsuits, the haute couture in Paris stands out for original fashion designers, Bangalore fashion week Bridal offers party dresses, Indonesian Islamic fashion week presents Muslim fashion and Portland fashion week features eco friendly designs. There is also the Bread and Butter Berlin which presents all the fashions.
When do the events of the fashion week take place?
Fashion weeks are organized twice a year in all the major fashion capitals, starting in New York, then in London, Milan, and finally in Paris. The events will take place a few months before the next season to allow buyers and press to preview the beautiful designs before the next season. Between February and March, many fashion designers organize events for their winter and autumn clothes, while in September and October they exhibit their summer and spring collections. The timing of the fashion week is designed to follow the slowest sales cycle, and allows retailers to have enough time to buy and incorporate new models into their stores. However, over time, customer expectations have increased,“See-now buy-now” events present clickable online fashion videos in which designs are available during or after the fashion show.
