Fashion Definitions — fashion history, brands and industry terms from Apparel Search
A fashion week is a fashion industry event, typically named after the host city or a major commercial sponsor, lasting four to ten days, held so that designers and houses can showcase their collections for either the spring or fall season. Spring fashion weeks are held in January through March and fall fashion weeks between September and November, a few months in advance of the season, to allow press and buyers to preview designs and retailers time to purchase or incorporate designers into their retail marketing. The events are attended by buyers for major stores, the media, celebrities and members of the entertainment industry, and the highlight is usually the runway show.
A Fashion Week is a fashion industry event, typically named after the host city or major commercial sponsor, lasting four to ten days. It is held so that fashion designers or "houses" are able showcase their "collections" for either Spring or Fall seasons. "Spring" fashion weeks are held in January through March and "Fall" fashion weeks are held between September and November, since they must be held a few months in advance of the season to allow the press and buyers a chance to preview fashion designs for the following season. This is also to allow time for retailers to arrange to purchase or incorporate the designers into their retail marketing. They are attended by buyers for major stores, the media, celebrities, and members of the entertainment industry. The highlight is usually the famous "runway show", where the top designers show and well-known models are featured. Men's and Children's fashion shows are often part of the week's activities, especially in the prominent cities.
In years past, fashion weeks were predominantly" for "the trade only", however, today they are entertainment and media events. They may incorporate live musicians, celebrity guests, lavish galas and charity events, and a few allow the public to purchase special passes to see the see the runway shows or attend expositions which display handbags, jewelery, shoes, hats and cosmetics. Many important fashion design schools participate in the shows, as well. Some fashion weeks can be genre-specific, such as a Pret-a-porter (ready-to-wear) fashion week, Couture (one-of-a-kind designer original) Fashion Week or a Bridal Fashion Week.
The most prominent and legendary Fashion Weeks are the following: London Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, Los Angeles Mercedes Fashion Week, New York's Olympus Fashion Week, Tokyo Fashion Week.
There following Fashion Weeks are held
in cities where local style typically tends
to set international fashion trends or the
fashion industry is important to local commerce:
Auckland Fashion Week, Amsterdam Fashion
Week, Budapest Fashion Week, Chicago Fashion
Week, Cleveland Fashion Week, Dublin Fashion
Week, Hong Kong Fashion Week, India Fashion
Week, Miami Fashion Week, Oslo Fashion Week,
Singapore Fashion Week.
Olympus Fashion Week, New York City
Mercedes Fashion Week, Los Angeles
Read Fashion Week News.
Designer Definition (from U.S Department of Labor)
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Why the Calendar Runs Ahead of the WeatherThe advance timing is the working heart of a fashion week. A collection is not finished when it is shown; in commercial terms it is only beginning. Buyers for major stores must see the clothes, judge which pieces their customers will want, and place orders. The media must photograph and report the trends so that demand exists by the time garments reach shops. Retailers must plan marketing around the designers they have bought. Manufacturers must then produce the ordered quantities. None of that fits between a show and the season it names, so spring is shown in winter and fall is shown in late summer. The four to ten day concentration matters too: buyers and press travelling to a city can see dozens of houses in one trip, which is why weeks are named for host cities and why a city's week rises or falls on how many important designers show there together. Kinds of Fashion WeekSome fashion weeks are genre-specific. A pret-a-porter, or ready-to-wear, week shows the industrially produced collections that stores will actually stock in quantity. A couture week shows one-of-a-kind designer originals, made to order for individual clients. A bridal week concentrates on wedding dresses and the occasion wear around them. Men's and children's fashion shows are often part of a general week's activities, especially in the prominent cities, rather than standing alone. Many important fashion design schools also participate in the shows, using graduate collections to put new designers in front of the same buyers and media who attend the established houses. Each genre changes the audience's task: ready-to-wear is judged on saleability, couture on craftsmanship and imagination, bridal on how a single high-stakes purchase will photograph and be remembered. From Trade Event to Media EventThe change in who a fashion week is for has changed what it looks like. A trade-only event needs a room, a runway and an order book. A media and entertainment event adds live musicians, celebrity guests, lavish galas and charity events, and sells special passes so members of the public can see runway shows or attend expositions displaying handbags, jewellery, shoes, hats and cosmetics. The commercial logic is direct: a show that is photographed, broadcast and discussed reaches customers who will never attend, and the accessories expositions put the highest-margin products in fashion in front of them. The risk is the reverse of the benefit. When celebrity attendance becomes the story, the collections can be crowded out of their own week, which is why the strongest weeks protect the primacy of the runway show, where top designers show and well-known models are featured, and treat everything else as framing for it. Common QuestionsWhy are fashion weeks held months before the season?Designers show spring collections in January through March and fall collections between September and November so the press and buyers can preview designs for the following season. The gap also gives retailers time to arrange purchases and incorporate designers into their retail marketing, and makers time to produce the orders. Which are the most prominent fashion weeks?The most prominent and legendary fashion weeks are London, Milan, Paris, New York and Tokyo, with Los Angeles also long established. Many other cities hold weeks where local style sets international trends or fashion is important to local commerce, including Auckland, Amsterdam, Chicago, Hong Kong, Miami, Oslo and Singapore. Are fashion weeks only for the trade?In years past fashion weeks were predominantly for the trade only, but today they are entertainment and media events as well. They may include live musicians, celebrity guests, lavish galas and charity events, and a few allow the public to buy special passes for runway shows or expositions of handbags, jewellery, shoes, hats and cosmetics. More to Explore
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