Originally termed "Press Week" in 1943, Fashion Week is an industry event that showcases the latest offerings from established and emerging fashion designers and houses. The popular event also welcomes a star-studded crowd of celebrities and street style stars for a series of runway shows and presentations.
Starting with New York and ending with Paris, Fashion Month is a biannual occurrence that takes place in February and September at the most prominent fashion capitals of the world: New York, London, Milan, and Paris. Other global Fashion Weeks take place in Copenhagen, Johannesburg, Seoul, and Shanghai, among many other places. Although some designers don't adhere to the conventional calendar dates, those who do unveil their collections for seasons ahead, which means you'll be taking note of fall trends in the spring and spring trends in the fall. Some festivities kick off prior to the official dates.
While some household names, like Michael Kors and Tory Burch, and major fashion houses, such as Saint Laurent, Dior, and Gucci, regularly participate in Fashion Week, others, including Christopher John Rogers and Peter Do, sometimes skip a season in favor of releasing collections on their own schedule. This shift toward more seasonless fashion has become more popular since the pandemic. Outside of these womenswear shows, there are also menswear, resort, and haute couture shows that happen at different times of the year.
This year, Fashion Month kicks off in New York City on Friday, Sept. 9, and runs until Tuesday, Oct. 4, in Paris. Filled with countless runway shows, celebrity sightings, and street style moments, keep reading for everything you need to know about Fashion Weeks across the world.