Fashion Calendar: everything you need to know about it
What are these cruises that every brand is talking about? How do seasons work for fashion? What should I look for and when? Why are there seasons for fashion industry? Did you ever ask yourself one of these questions? We have the ultimate guide for THE fashion calendar. Follow The Curator and understand how this industry works and prepare yourself for the upcoming launches…
"What characterises fashion is its urge to innovate. Every six months, fashion presents itself as a moment where the spirit of time is captured in a moment of absolute beauty." (Jose Teunissen)
In the fashion industry, new collections grace the catwalks and fresh clothing arrives on store shelves each season. The fashion industry thrives because people consistently purchase new clothes. These fashion seasons serve as the industry’s trading cycle, ensuring the continuous introduction of new styles and trends. The fashion calendar has four main seasons: Spring/Summer (SS), Autumn/Winter (AW in the UK or Fall/Winter, FW in the US), Resort/Cruise and Pre-Fall.
Les Grandes Maisons like Chanel, Dior, Jil Sander, Gucci, and Prada disclose their new SS and AW during the big four fashion weeks (that also happen twice a year): New York, London, Milan and Paris. Some brands also organize independent events. The Resort/Cruise and Pre-Fall are shows to present inter-seasonal collections that have been developed to bridge the gaps between the main two seasons and introduce newness more frequently. During these showcases, designers present their latest creations, assess buyer interest, engage with the press, and generate excitement for their upcoming collections.
What do you mean by upcoming collection?
Well, the fashion weeks are organised well before the start of a season: Spring/summer collections are presented at fashion weeks in September and October for the following summer. Autumn/winter collections, meanwhile, are shown on the catwalk in February and March for next winter. This way, retailers can get ready and have the trends right before the season starts. Spring/summer collections are delivered to stores between January and March. The SS collections are then on sale for a few months. Summer sales are often from mid-June to mid-July or August. The fall/winter collections are delivered to retailers between July and September and are then on sale for a few months. Winter sales are often from Christmas to January - February.
How do fashion weeks work?
Fashion Week spans an entire week (sometimes up to ten days) dedicated to fashion. During this time, fashion designers, labels, and luxury houses showcase their latest collections, receiving recognition for their creative efforts. The attendees are also stars, displaying their stylish outfits whilst watching the new trends walk the runway. The “Fashion Month” usually starts in New York and ends in Paris - since it is the most important Fashion Week. Other cities like Berlin, Miami, Copenhagen, Tokyo and São Paulo host their own fashion weeks, typically featuring fewer shows lasting two to three days.
There are three kinds of Fashion weeks: Haute Couture (which stands for high-end handmade tailored dressmaking) - Prét-à-Porter (Ready-to-Wear) and Menswear. Paris exclusively hosts Haute Couture Fashion Week. Interestingly, the term ‘haute couture’ is trademarked and legally regulated in France. Only the French Ministry of Industry can grant this designation, subject to strict rules and guidelines established by La Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture de Paris.
Ready-to-Wear refers to the collections that can be found in boutiques or department stores four to six months after the show. These are the clothes that are available for mass consuption. And happening in January and June we have Menswear, which is, well, self-explainable: to showcase fashion directed to men.
What are the intermediate collections?
Most clothing brands create two to four collections annually, by default. In addition to the spring/summer and autumn/winter collections, there are intermediate collections. These often include transitional lines. However, the specific intermediate collections vary among brands. Some brands skip ‘pre-spring’ but offer a ‘high summer’ collection. Luxury brands like Chanel, Dior, and Jil Sander commonly feature ‘resort/cruise’ and ‘pre-fall’ collections.
The Resort or Cruise collections were created to dress the elite who would travel to tropical resorts or cruises at the end of the year. In the North hemisphere, the department stores would only offer heavy winter clothes and no swimwear options. The collections became part of the schedule for big brands and have established themselves as fashion traditions now, being presented in May/June and distributed for retail in October/November.
The Pre-Fall collection focuses on the transition period from summer to autumn/winter. The collection is released alongside the shows in February and often includes both spring/summer and autumn/winter items and elements. They present mid-season options, good for when the weather is not too warm or not too cold yet.
All this info on seasons months is important in fashion business for planning merchandise deliveries and Open to Buy, and also for markdown planning to clear inventory by the end of each season.
And The Curator summarized it all for you… Save the dates and some (maybe a lot of) money to enjoy what is coming next!
