What is a Fashion Week: 3 facts you didn’t know about fashion weeks (2024)

FAQs

What are the big 3 fashion weeks? ›

About. Although there are many notable fashion weeks around the world, only four are known as the "Big Four": in chronological order, New York, London, Milan, and Paris.

Most important fashion weeks always take place in the same order. Fashion shows of women's clothing begin in New York in February/September, next take place in London, then in Milan, and the last one is in Paris in March/October. Men's clothing is presented in January and June.

The event was originally called "Press Week" and was designed to showcase American designers and boost the country's fashion industry during World War II. New York Fashion Week is big business, with estimates suggesting that the event generates billions of dollars in revenue for the city of New York each year.

Fashion weeks are an essential part of the fashion calendar, offering direction to buyers, designers, retailers, and publications. It is fashion week that indicates the current and upcoming trends – and all other people and businesses in the industry rely on it for their direction.

The "Big Four" events are the Paris Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week,and London Fashion Week.

The idea behind the third piece rule is that for an outfit to go from good to great, it needs three key elements. Your top and bottom (pants or skirt) are your first and second elements. The third piece is that extra something that finishes off the whole look.

In the context of fashion, "SS" stands for "Spring/Summer." It is commonly used to refer to the Spring/Summer season or collection within the fashion industry. Fashion designers and brands often release two main collections each year: Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter.

Autumn/winter clothing is often darker in colour than summer collections and usually also higher priced. The American industry also uses the term fall/winter, or the abbreviations F/W, FW or – in the UK – AW (short for autumn/winter).

It's very common to see these abbreviations that stand for “Spring/Summer” and “Fall/Winter” respectively. They are the two main collections on the annual Fashion Week calendar. FW collections are typically presented between February – March, and SS ones are presented in September – October.

Paris Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week, London Fashion Week and Milan Fashion Week are the most known Fashion Weeks around the world, attracting buyers, the media, celebrities, top models and designers who proudly present their latest collections. The Fashion Week universe doesn't end here.

Does New York have 2 fashion weeks? ›

New York Fashion Week (often abbreviated NYFW) takes place twice a year—once in February and once in September—and kicks off what's become known as Fashion Month, during which designers showcase their collections for the upcoming season.

New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning seven to nine days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general public.

Designers, models, fashion enthusiasts, and media from around the globe come together in the city. The week aims to showcase the latest collections from established designers and emerging talents, attracting fashion aficionados and buyers alike. One of the most significant economic boosts that NYFW brings is tourism.

Its importance lies not only in how it makes us look but also in how it makes us feel. It empowers us to express ourselves authentically, encourages us to embrace our individuality, and enables us to inspire others. Through fashion, we can truly enhance our persona and let our personality shine.

The first fashion week, as we know it now, was held in New York in 1943, in order to promote the American local fashion, because in the Second World War it was really difficult to import French and Italian clothes.

The "Big Four" fashion weeks unite the most prominent figures in the industry and take place in four of the world's fashion capitals: New York, London, Milan, and Paris.

Fashion is typically split into four seasons: Spring/Summer, Fall/Winter, Resort, and Pre-Fall. The two main seasons, however, are Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter and are always shown at Fashion Week in London, Milan, New York, and Paris.

Fashion Weeks are held twice a year, usually in February and September, to showcase the spring/summer and fall/winter collections. New York kicks off the Fashion Weeks, with London, Milan and Paris hot on its high heels. Miami, a newer entry, gets a head start in July before the shows of the other "big four" cities.