Fashion · In depth
The Business of Fashion Week
Four cities, two seasons: how the fashion weeks work and who runs them.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Ralph Lauren
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © David Shankbone · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Ralph Lauren
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Kris Krug · CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © WestportWiki · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Ralph Lauren1 / 6
Four cities, four designers told how the fashion capitals were made. This companion series of four looks at the forces shaping fashion now: who owns the great houses, from Paris; the business of Fashion Week, from New York; the next generation, from London; and heritage against modern luxury, from Milan.
Four cities, two seasons
Twice a year the fashion world moves as one. New York Fashion Week shows every February and September, and London, Milan and Paris hold their own weeks in the same seasons, into March and October, so that buyers, editors, photographers and investors can see a season’s collections city by city.
For the houses it is the moment of judgement: orders are placed, reviews are written and images travel around the world within hours. For the cities it is a showcase of their own fashion identity.
Who runs the weeks
Each week has its guardian. In New York, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, founded in 1962, owns and organises the Fashion Calendar and the official New York Fashion Week schedule.
In London, the British Fashion Council exists, in its own words, to support, defend and promote British fashion globally. In Milan, the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, founded in 1958, owns the Milano Fashion Week name.
In Paris, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode coordinates Paris Fashion Week and Haute Couture Week. Its story begins in 1868, and since a decision of 23 January 1945 “Haute Couture” has been a legally protected name, granted each year to approved houses by a commission under the French Ministry of Industry.
Twice a year the fashion world moves as one.
The business behind the shows
A fashion week is far more than a runway. It is a trade fair, a press event and a stage for the city itself, filling showrooms, hotels and restaurants. It is also where new names are launched: the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN programme, for one, gives its emerging designers a showcase in February and September.
Planning a visit
The shows themselves are an industry affair, but the city around them is not. Milan’s next womenswear weeks run from 23 February to 1 March and from 21 to 27 September 2027; dates for the other cities follow on their official calendars. Book hotels early if your trip falls in a fashion week.
Our advice: for fashion you can see any day in New York, visit the Museum at FIT on Seventh Avenue at 27th Street, whose permanent collection holds more than 50,000 garments and accessories; admission is always free.
Location
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