What the smaller fashion weeks offer young designers
Don't go bankrupt for London or get ignored in Paris. Here's what support and financing three newer fashion weeks provide.
Once the world's capital for avant-garde design, London's designers have been left adrift. What now?
Big shows, even if they garner a lot of press coverage, don’t necessarily translate into sales. As a result, some designers are choosing to forgo the traditional biannual affair altogether. While the fashion industry stutters both creatively and economically, young designers are getting wise to the fact that growing too fast can mean a hasty and sudden fall.
But, for those who do want to show, there’s the question of where.
While Paris remains the central city to the industry's biannual fashion months, its calendar is chock-a-block with young designers trying to elbow their way in for a slice of the coverage pie. New York and Milan are known for being skewed in favour of bigger, more commercial brands, and London, which was once upon a time a haven for exciting, experimental fashion, is not faring particularly well. So, in the face of such slim pickings, what’s a designer to do?
In the last few years, Shanghai, Berlin and Copenhagen have hosted fashion weeks that have emerged as possible alternatives to the big four capitals. While they may not get as much international press or attract as many buyers, they’re currently in the midst of finding their place in the fashion ecosystem. While the capitals are still considered status symbols on a brand’s CV, perhaps these smaller, less saturated fashion cities can offer something better.