Fashion Week is a fashion industry event where fashion designers, brands, and houses are able to exhibit their collections in Runway fashion shows through the buyers and media. The Fashion Week history finds its traces back from Paris where the fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth exhibits his designs in Paris and was the first one to engage a real woman to demonstrate his garments. The concept of Fashion Week Started from Paris with the marketers use to appoint women to wear and exhibit designer pieces in public places. The parades began to become a social event of their own. France Runaway shows to date are known as Fashion Parades. Before engaging women to showcase the garment and conducting a fashion week, the marketers use to employees fashion dolls and miniature versions of the designs to give the customer an idea of the final product. The fashion parade was introduced as a private and exclusive event for elite clients. Then the designers on their own spin these shows into creative, social, and high-class experiences.
No long after the concept of fashion shows was introduced a New York City shop called Ehrich Brothers launched their first Fashion Show to tempt and attract middle-class women in the store in 1903. After 1910 department stores held their own shows as an effective way to promote and enhance their goodwill.
A fashion week is organized either in the Spring or Fall season. Spring fashion week is organized in January to March and the Fall fashion week is held between September and November. The Fashion Week should be organized a few months in advance of the season to allow the media and the retail buyers a chance to examine the upcoming fashion designs with the following season. This also gives them a chance and time to arrange a purchase or incorporate the designs into retail marketing. The fashion shows witness the presence of buyers from major stores, media, celebrities, and members of the fashion and entertainment industry. The spotlight in these fashion shows is on Runway shows featuring well-known models exhibiting the top designer’s collection.
Now a day fashion events are considered as an entertainment and media event rather than 
being a trade event only. Fashion weeks to be a remarkable and magnificent event may incorporate celebrity guests, Charity events, live musicians, and on-stage performances. Fashion Week could be organized as an exclusive event by allowing the public to purchase a special pass and attend the Runway shows along with exhibitions of handbags, jewelry, shoes, and cosmetics. Fashion shows are generally based on a particular category or bracket of passion like Bridal Fashion Week, Indian Fashion Week, Ready to Wear Fashion Week, etc.
Top fashion weeks of the world
Although there are many remarkable and renowned Fashion Week, only four are considered as big four-
- Paris Fashion Week
- Milan Fashion Week
- London Fashion Week
- New York Fashion Week
Let’s discuss some important Fashion Weeks of the world
Paris Fashion Week
The first Paris fashion week to place in 1973 organized by the French Fashion Federation including the expensive customized clothes, ready-to-wear, and men’s fashion. Paris Fashion Week represents the designer collection organized twice in a year in Paris and France with spring and autumn events each year. The Paris Fashion Week organized by the Federation is scheduled to enable the media and the buyers to cover the entire collection. The French Fashion Federation has been using esteemed and eminent places in Paris to present the shows. Paris Haute Couture Week was organized online from July 6th to 8th 2020.
Trends covered for spring 2020 are –
- Garden Party: flowers had a big hit with designers in Paris Fashion Week.
- Rainbow Graphic Prints: designers have emphasized from checkerboard to Polka dots in their collections with impressive and spectacular patterns using the Rainbow color palette.
- Full Transparency: designers in Paris Fashion Week focused on the transparency trend of inner wears.
- Head To Toe Black Leather: black leather was a big hit in French capital and the designer exhibited everything inspired by the black leather.
- Gold Mine: Designers being inspired by the shimmery golden age have designed the lustrous downs and pleated skirts.
Milan Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week was first organized in 1958 by the National Chamber for Italian Fashion. Fashion events dedicated mainly to women’s fashion include Milan SS women ready to wear and Milano Moda Donna, autumn major fashion shows, and events dedicated to men include Menswear and Milano Moda Uomo. Designers associated with Milan Fashion Week are Armani, Gucci, Prada, Versace, Roberto Cavalli, and Salvatore Ferragamo. Roman stylist, influencers, designers, and models are focused through Italian fashion to become the focal point. Owing to the coronavirus pandemic, Milan Fashion Week took place through digital media from 14th to 17th July 2020 as 2020 Milano digital Fashion Week.
Top trends from Milan Fashion Week 2020
- Fringe: Fringe is making waves this season with designers presenting attires with fringe in a variety of revolutionary ways.
- Orange: Light shades of orange dominated the Fall 2020 Milan Fashion Weeks.
- Ruffled Collars: This season ruffled collars demonstrated the popular trends among Italians.
- Lilac: A carryover color from spring, lilac received an autumnal stamp of approval from Boss, Prada, and Alberta Ferretti.
- Puffy Sleeves: Big, puffy sleeves were back in trend with Milan Fashion week.
London Fashion Week
London Fashion Week, a clothing trade show was first organized in October 1983 by the British Fashion Council. It was organized in association with the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills. It is organized semi-annually in February and September exhibiting the designs of over 250 designers to attract a global audience of media and retailers. London fashion week was the first Fashion Week to broadcast the shows live over the internet in 2012. It has reported that the fashion week is attended by over 5,000 and retailers having an estimated order of over £ 100 million. London Fashion Week in 2019 was recognized as the first fashion week to open its doors to the public for both trade and public audiences appearing on one schedule. London Fashion Week 2020 is announced to begin on 18th till 22nd September 2020.
Top trends in the Autumn 20 London Fashion Week
- True Blue: From ultramarine to the Inky navy was the theme on the autumn 20 catwalks. Designers presented eye-catching attires with a variety of blue colors.
- Dressing up Box: Showstopper dress is always mesmerizing whether embellished with bold colors or floral print. The fashion model Molly Goddard presenting the collection of hyper-feminine styles –with exceptional features- joyous, heavily layered buttercup yellow style.
- Get your Frills: The air during autumn 20 Fashion week was filled with romance on Valentine’s Day with designers presenting passion and love for frills from delicate, metallic styles to layered and voluminous free-flowing frills.
- Artfully Draped: The fabrics were artfully used by designers showing the neat folds, wrap detailing, streamlined, and layers on silky materials.
- Taking Flight: During autumn 20, designers were in a festive mood presenting aggressive and high-powered dresses. Feathers appended lavish, affluent to the attire.
New York Fashion Week
New York fashion week is also known as Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week, first took place in 1943. It was first created by Eleanor Lambert, director of American fashion Industries’ first promotional organization called the New York Dress Institute. The world’s first organized Fashion Week event was called Press Week. The first event was organized to attract the attention of fashion industry insiders during World War II who were unable to travel to Paris to see the French fashion shows. In 1993 the Council of fashion designers of America also created the concept of centralized New York Fashion Week. Producers and the collaborated partners of New York Fashion Week include IMG, the SOCIETY Fashion Week in association with Fashion Week Online, Style 360, Style Fashion Week, Art Hearts Fashion. The New York Fashion Week 2020 will begin on 11 September and will end on 16 September 2020.
Trends from New York Fashion Week 2020
- Bohemian Patterns: Designers had their inclination towards Bohemian patterns inspired from 1970. Floral power vibes were incorporated into blouses and billowing silk dresses.
- Plaid: Plaid in its variations has been focused for Fall 2020.
- Capes & Ponchos: Poncho style wraps, cozy knitted, and fringed covers highlighted the runways.
- Thigh High Boots: Attractive and passionate animal-inspired designs ranged the catwalk along with over- knee- boots.
- Sweetheart Necklines: Perhaps Valentine’s Day was on the brain for some designers including Khaite’s Catherine Holstein, but this romantic neckline looks set to stick around for more than a Hallmark minute.
Article Written By-
Naina Rupani, Management Trainee- TVC
FOSTIIMA Business School
