A Blog That Features Fashion Weeks Around The World

Why Fashion Weeks?

The concept of style may be highly individualistic, but fashion is a different story! Fashion needs to appeal to the collective conscience. It is what one sees on not just one or two individuals but everywhere. The collaborative yet transient nature of fashion is what makes it so attractive.

The ideas, the creativity, and the thoughts behind designer collections put together and presented through a common platform make them memorable. This is where the Fashion Weeks come into the picture. The Fashion Weeks around the world provide a structured platform to the designers as well as the audiences. The designers present their ideas and collections, and the audience looks forward to finding what they can expect in stores in the coming seasons.

The fashion weeks began to give people an idea of what to expect in the coming season. Keeping the production times in mind, traditionally, the fashion weeks used to happen twice a year for the two collections released at a gap of six months. Over the years, however, several “in season” fashion weeks have come up. These display the collections for the ongoing season or the near future. The traditionally gendered fashion weeks are also slowly moving towards gender-neutral events. With the pandemic, even the fashion weeks have adapted. They went from being entirely offline to wholly digital and finally to a hybrid model.

Given the buzz that surrounds these events, they have become the mainstay of the fashion industry. While getting to showcase their designs in any fashion week may be a highlight for any designer’s portfolio, only a select few get this opportunity. To ensure a stage for designers, nearly every country has its own version of fashion weeks. The most awaited ones, though, are still the Big four.

The Big Four Fashion Weeks

With so much riding on the fashion weeks, there are hundreds of these happening around the world. But the most prominent ones aptly named the “Big Four” of the fashion weeks are the ones happening in the world’s fashion capitals, viz. Paris, New York, Milan, and London. It is a dream of every designer to showcase in at least one of these fashion weeks.

• Paris Fashion Week – The most prominent one in the home of high fashion, this is one of the most followed fashion weeks globally. Everything from womenswear, menswear to streetwear of Paris Fashion Week is a go-to for any fashion enthusiast. But, the one thing that makes this event stand out is the haute couture shows that take place only in Paris!
• New York Fashion Week – Another big one known for its impressive lineup of prominent designers, the New York Fashion Week is in equal parts traditional and modern. While it still has the traditional womenswear and menswear shows, the city also hosts some impressive “in season” fashion weeks for resort and bridal shows.
• Milan Fashion Week – One more in the league of the biggest fashion weeks globally, Milan fashion week is known for its bold themes and the designers headlining the event.
• London Fashion Week – A potpourri of designers from across the world showcasing their creations is the hallmark of this edition as it embraces technology much before the other fashion weeks.

Other Fashion Weeks Around the World

• Vancouver Fashion Week – Started in the year 2001 to promote the talented designers of British Columbia, this is now one of the most sought-after fashion weeks in the world, thanks to their innovations and commitment towards sustainable fashion. The Nancy MAK Award adds to the event’s charm, as does the Vancouver Kids Fashion week.
• Copenhagen Fashion Week – Celebrating the Nordic culture, designs, and their association with minimalism, this is among the most popular fashion weeks in the world. This is also one of the first fashion weeks to take a firm stand and have stringent entry criteria along six parameters to support and promote sustainable fashion.
• Tokyo Fashion Week – A style statement of its own, the Tokyo Fashion Week is very different from other fashion weeks of the world. Instead of the fashion shows and red-carpet events at the other fashion weeks, this is more about the street style. Designers present their work on the sidewalks and as a part of a regular day in Japanese life.
• Lakme Fashion Week, India – Closer home in India, the most popular among the many fashion weeks, is undoubtedly the bi-annual Lakme Fashion Week organized in Mumbai. From the biggest names in the Indian fashion industry showcasing their collections to the glamour of the biggest movie stars on the ramp, this is one of India’s most awaited fashion weeks every year. Organized by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), this is where all Indian designers aspire to showcase their collections.