What is a Fashion Week?

You may know that London Fashion Week took place last month and the Milan Fashion Week just finished. It’s all over the news. But what exactly happens at these ‘Fashion Weeks’? Hang on, actually what is a ‘Fashion Week’? Looks like just an excuse to party. Well, it is. But it is also serious business.

I realised the whole concept of Fashion Weeks and how they work is pretty alien to someone who doesn’t work in the fashion industry – which is most people! And its very confusing. I have been following the ins and outs of this for a few years now (general stalking, obsession, interest, passion, boredom) and finally have the hang of it. Or at least some of it. So read on this conversation my now clued in fashion girl personality had with my prior clueless girl personality.

So London Fashion Week finished a few weeks back…

Yeah…I saw. Its all over the news.

But do you know that London Fashion Week will be back in September this year?

Huh? What? Again? What’s the point? Who will want to see the same clothes?

Well, no one so the shows in September will show the Spring/ Summer collection, not the Autumn/ Winter collection that was shown in February.

Ok. That makes no sense and its hurting my head. They are going to show the summer collection just when summer is over? That’s just dumb.

Well, the September shows this year will show the Spring / Summer collection for 2017.

You are telling me people buy clothes for next summer when this summer just finished? Who does that?

Actually the clothes are not going to be available for sale till about six months after the show so…

Argh! What the hell!

Ok, lets break this down. The LFW (thats London Fashion Week by the way) that finished in February a few weeks back showed the Autumn/ Winter 2016 collection of a brand or designer. These clothes will be available in a few months in stores for consumers to buy. But LFW also has a show in September for next year’s Spring/ Summer collection. And these will be available in a few months and will be ready for summer next year. Does that make sense?

Ok, yeah. But wait a minute, if the clothes are only going be made and be available in a few months, what are they showing now? I mean, what are the clothes the models are wearing now?

So the pieces the models are wearing now are samples.

Umm…ok. I have a lot of questions about that but first, what about the other fashion weeks? You have only been talking about London but I know there is a New York fashion week as well.

…and a Paris Fashion Week and a Milan Fashion Week actually. The fashion week calendar starts off with New York, moves onto London, then Milan and finishes with Paris. Or at least this finishes the main four womenswear fashion showings. There are a number of other markets that have their own fashion showing as well at different times in the calendar and it may not adhere to this main fashion calendar. For instance, the Lakme Fashion Week’s (India) Summer/ Resort 2016 collection is going to take place end of March. Seoul Fashion Week will take place at the end of March and then again in October.

Now my head definitely hurts. Can I lie down please? Are we done here?

Yeah sure! We’ll continue later on.

Oh no – you mean there is more?

Of course! I just got started. And have a look at some runway trends (and the ones I skipped) and Bidisha’s adventures at Fashion Week!

So let me know if this was helpful? Fun? Boring? Confusing? I will definitely be doing a follow-up post with some more information. Fashion magazines are way too clued in and make confusing reading for a someone not in the know already. Quite the vicious circle. And I promise – I’ll keep it short!

–Anisha

All the pictures used in this post are from and belong to the London Fashion Week, (unless otherwise specified) British Fashion Council.