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Fashion Week

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A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, that allows fashion designers or "houses" to display their latest collections. Runway shows are typically the highlight of fashion week. The most prominent fashion weeks are held in the fashion capitals of New York, Paris, Milan, and London. In the early and mid 2000s, fashion weeks sprang up around the globe to draw attention to designers elsewhere.

In the major fashion capitals, fashion weeks are semiannual events. "Fall" fashion weeks, showcasing designers' fall collections, are held January through March, and "spring" fashion weeks, showcasing spring collections, are held September through November. Fashion weeks must be held several 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.

Fashion weeks are attended by buyers for major stores, the media, celebrities, and members of the entertainment industry. 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 Miami Fashion Week (Swimwear), PrA?t-a-Porter (ready-to-wear) Fashion Week, Couture (one-of-a-kind designer original) Fashion Week, Palm Springs Fashion Week (Resort Collections) and Bridal Fashion Week.

History

The earliest fashion week, held in New York City in 1943, was designed to attract attention away from French fashion during World War II, when fashion industry insiders were unable to travel to Paris to see French fashion shows. Fashion publicist Eleanor Lamber organized an event she called "Press Week" to showcase American designers for fashion journalists, who had previously neglected their innovations. (Buyers were not admitted to the shows and instead had to visit designers' showrooms.) Press Week was a success, and fashion magazines like Vogue, which were normally filled with French designs, increasingly featured American fashion.

Selected cities with fashion weeks

City	Name	Date established
New York City	New York Fashion Week	1943 (1993 in its current form)
Paris	Paris Fashion Week	1914 (1973 in it's current form)
Milan	Milan Fashion Week
Lisbon	Moda Lisboa/Lisbon Fashion Week
London	London Fashion Week
Tokyo	Japan Fashion Week	1985 (2005 in its current form)
Barcelona	Barcelona Fashion Week
Buenos Aires	fashionbuenosaires	2001
Moscow	Russia Fashion Week	1994 (2003 in its current form)
Sydney	Australian Fashion Week	1995
Sao Paulo	Sao Paulo Fashion Week	1996
Johannesburg	South Africa Fashion Week	1996
ReykjavA?k	Iceland Fashion Week	2000
New Delhi	India Fashion Week	2000
Auckland	New Zealand Fashion Week	2001
Prague	Prague Fashion Week	2002
Lahore	Pakistan Fashion Week	2007
Los Angeles	Los Angeles Fashion Week	2003
Bangkok	Bangkok Fashion Week	2005
Rome	Rome Fashion Week
Singapore	Singapore Fashion Week
Melbourne	L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival
Toronto	L'Oreal Fashion Week	2001
Tehran		2006
Charleston, USA	Charleston Fashion Week	2007

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Big 4 Fashion Weeks Get Company." International Herald Tribune (Oct. 3, 2006).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Fortini, Amanda. How the Runway Took Off: A Brief History of the Fashion Show. Slate Magazine (Feb. 8, 2006).
^ http://www.t-i-forum.co.jp/english/magazine/vol52_fashion.html
^ http://www.fashionweekinmoscow.com/aboutus/mission.php
^ ^a ^b http://www.fashionwindows.com/fashion_review/sf/2007s/01.asp
^ "Sao Paolo Fashion Week." Style.com
^ http://www.visitingarts.org.uk/features/v45bf.html
^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2745579.cms
^ http://www.radio.cz/en/article/89509
^ http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/04/08/lfash_ed3_.php
^ http://www.nationmultimedia.com/specials/fashionweek/
^ Rome Fashion Week article, China Daily, July 13, 2004
^ "Singapore Fashion Week."
^ "L'Oreal Fashion Week."
^

External links

2007 Fashion weeks schedule from Fashion TV

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