Fashion Week showcases designers’ new Couture and Haute Couture creations twice a year . Inspired by Parisian runway shows and born in New York, this event quickly spread across the world. The four most important Fashion Weeks take place in New York, London, Milan, and Paris. Beirut, Berlin, Los Angeles, Madrid, Shanghai, Tokyo , and many others are not far behind, however. These cities also develop Fashion Weeks that grow in importance each year. Today, there are more than 140 official Fashion Weeks worldwide.
Although the exact beginnings of these performances are uncertain, the first fashion shows took place in Parisian fashion salons in the 1800s . Designers would show their clients their new creations on real-life models.
It was in the early 1900s that American retailers brought the concept to New York, where the first fashion show took place in 1903. These shows took place in stores with the aim of showing off the owner’s good taste but also attracting customers. However, these shows were a little different from what we know today. Organized around a single theme and very often with a narrative, they were very theatrical. This practice quickly spread throughout the country until the appearance in 1943 of the first Fashion Week as we know it today, in New York. This was followed by a successive appearance of these shows all over the world.
The arrival of Fashion Weeks around the world
Fashion Week is something everyone talks about, but very few attend. Yet, secondary fashion weeks are popping up all over the place, just waiting for you.
Gone are the days of events limited to major cities and a select audience. In recent years, several fashion weeks have sprung up across France and around the world.
Paris no longer has exclusivity when it comes to fashion. Many cities now organize their own fashion weeks, both to promote the collections of local boutiques and to bring together international designers. These events have become local must-sees for uniting people around a common passion: style . In France, you can attend no fewer than ten secondary Fashion Weeks across the country!
But we’re far from being the only ones to show our love of fashion: the United Kingdom and Italy have nine and ten secondary Fashion Weeks respectively, as well as seven in Germany.
This phenomenon is not limited to Europe, here are some key figures:
- More than 270 secondary Fashion Weeks worldwide
- 109 in Europe
- 73 in Asia
- 62 in America
- 18 in Africa
- 4 in the Middle East
- 7 in Oceania
But why such enthusiasm for these events?
With today’s ultra-connected generations, keeping up with fashion has never been easier. New fashion icons, Instagram stars like Gigi (@gigihadid), Bella Hadid (@bellahadid), and Kendall Jenner (@kendalljenner), inspire their thousands of followers every day. Also a star on the catwalk, they’re the ones who’ve brought a new interest in fashion to younger generations.
It’s easy to identify with these young women who are providing Generation Z with the guidance they need. Thanks to new apps that aspire to make their users social media stars, exhibitionism and voyeurism are the watchwords. Is your idol wearing a top you like? Two clicks later, that same sweater is yours. This use of the internet has made everything more accessible, and that’s what younger people are now looking for: simplicity . The desire to belong to a group that has long been exclusive and unattainable, but above all, to always be “in,” is stirring up the crowds.
This accessibility provided by social media and the internet in general also creates a desire to know everything, before everyone else, at the risk of not being trendy. Participating in Fashion Week has always been reserved for a very select audience, a symbol of success and glamour. Being able to approach this luxurious and upscale aspect largely justifies this wave of enthusiasm for Fashion Week. A telling example of its success? In Strasbourg, Fashion Week is growing a little more each year, with 25,000 participants in 2016 compared to 900 in 2013.
