Today’s fashion world is indebted to several designers effort and sponsors in cities such as NewYork, London, Milan and Paris. By looking at four top fashion weeks in the world, we can get some information about the international top designers and group works between several artists, engineers, photographers and web-loggers. This huge team work inspired us to have a look at the history of fashion week.
Today’s fashion world is indebted to several designers effort and sponsors in cities such as NewYork, London, Milan and Paris. By looking at four top fashion weeks in the world, we can get some information about the international top designers and group works between several artists, engineers, photographers and web-loggers. This huge team work inspired us to have a look at the history of fashion week.
The introduction of fashion week goes back to 1858, by Charles Fredrick. He started with an amazing idea which was showing his new semi-ready to wear collection on live models (today’s catwalk). It was a dramatic shift in the fashion world.
The showcase of designers new collection with using live models in private houses for rich and famous clients was continued and France turned to the great power of fashion in 20 century. At that time Photographers, musicians, stage designers and paparazzi joined to the fashion industry and made it like an event. Designers called this event (Fete) which means celebration in French. The reputation of Paris in fashion and mode attracted all the fashion magazines around the world to Paris. It was the beginning of modern style fashion industry.
After second world war in 1943, fashion industry changed. due to Nazi occupation, Paris fashion shows and flights were canceled. A fashion magazine journalist named Eleanor Lambert saw this situation as a golden opportunity to transfer the Paris fashion weeks to NewYork. Since then, Lambert encouraged all the NewYork citizen fashion designers and also international designers to work for fashion week. He also invited journalists and announced press week with lots of advertisements. All the cost of traveling to NewYork for designers was paid by Lambert. He paid that money to encourage more and more international designers to work in press week. 53 designers participated in NewYork fashion week and most of them are still working. It is notable that in 1994, Rat Felinely formed this fashion festivals as a comprehensive meeting. This two fashion weeks meetings continued every February and September for 3 decades. Italian aristocrat, Giovanni Battista Giorgini, setup the fashion week in Italy in 1952. He got the most important position in fashion after setting up several runways in Fame palazzo Pitti in Italy. Because of the changes in Florence runways by Emilio Pucci and Missoni, which made it more interesting, the number of visitors from all over the world rose up. Florence airport capacity was not enough for the large number of visitors and the fashion week transferred to Milan.
It was a very big competition between NewYork and Paris in the runway ceremony called The Divertissement Of Versailles, known as The Battle Of Versailles in 1973. They tried to allocate the position of the heart of the fashion in the world.
Ceremony was held in a place close to Paris called Opulent Versailles Palace. The competition between French skilled fashion experts and new American designers continued and both countries took good advantages from the competition. American designers were able to show their high ability and creativity in fashion and the official opening of Paris fashion week was also in the same year.
In less than a decade, in 1984, with the support of British Vogue magazine and Great Britain sponsorship the first London fashion week took place in a parking lot in the western part of London. all the designers, brands and models took good advantages of this fashion week.
Looking back to America, Lambert was looking for more convenient ways to success for fresh fashion designers. He formed the organisation of American fashion designers which was a good opportunity for designers, art and culture of America. It was also a great opportunity for fashion designers to show their designs in public with more features.
American designers showed their designs in galleries, garages and restaurants. In Michael Kors new season fashion ceremony, in 1990, the ceremony hall roof collapsed and Fern Mallis, the executive director of the council of fashion designers of America, found the situation needs to be changed quickly
In 1994, Lambert was working on a new place for fashion week and he came up with a new idea. He invited people to Bryant park tents which was a fantastic place with the large capacity. The number of visitors in outdoor fashion week increased. Fashion week was able to attract several sponsors such as Mercedes-Benz. The NewYork fashion week is still known as Mercedes-Benz fashion week.
Bryant park tents attracted most of the celebrities attention and in following the number of visitors increased. The capacity of the Bryant park was not enough for visitors anymore, so they moved to Lincoln Centre. The Mercedes-Benz fashion week is still in Lincoln Centre and it’s success in fashion field encouraged the other countries and skilled designers to start up new fashion weeks.
