Fashion is constantly changing and elevating from year-to-year. Worldwide fashion events highlight the new innovations and designs to the fashion industry.
Fashion events even persisted throughout the pandemic, with events and famous fashion shows going digital. Whether the event be physical in-person or digital via an online platform, fashion events showcase the latest fashion innovations, trends, designers, and brands.
The most common type of fashion event is a fashion show. These are typically organized by a fashion brand or designer to showcase their newest designs of the year or season.
These shows often foreshadow upcoming trends or themes within the fashion industry. Attendees get great insight into not only the designer's ideas but also what the future of fashion clothing and accessories will look like.
There are also some of the biggest fashion weeks in major cities across the world that host fashion events, showcases, runways, and more for the entire duration of a week. A plethora of designers and stylists come to show their newest collections and looks of the season.
Here is a list of the world's top week long fashion events 2022:
- Arab Fashion Week, United Arab Emirates
- London Fashion Week, United Kingdom
- Milan Fashion Week, Italy
- New York Fashion Week, United States
- Paris Fashion Week, France
- Shanghai Fashion Week, China
- Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo, Japan
Here is a list of other world famous fashion events 2022:
- CFDA Fashion Awards, United States
- Met Gala, United States
- Paris Haute Couture Week, France
- Pitti Immagine Uomo, Italy
Arab Fashion Week, United Arab Emirates
Taking place in Dubai and the Arab region, Arab Fashion Week occurs four times a year. This includes two weeks for women and two for men, with the shows being split as one being the Spring/Summer collection and the other being Fall/Winter.
These fashion events are coordinated and produced by the Arab Fashion Council (the AFC) and the Dubai Design District. It is often included within the world's top five most-known and biggest fashion weeks. Designers attending the week-long events include both local Arab designers and international brands.
The main goal of the fashion week is to have Arab Fashion Week become the benchmark for Ready-Couture and Pre-Collections. Ready-Couture is the line between ready-to-wear clothing and haute couture, as described by the Arab Fashion Council CEO Jacob Abrian.
Upcoming Arab Fashion Week events include the Women's Spring/Summer 2023 collection from 24-28 October 2022 and the Men's Spring/Summer 2023 from 28-30 June 2022. It is back to in-person shows in the Dubai Design District.
The Fall/Winter fashion weeks of 2022 have passed, but the dates have been released for 2023. The Women's Fall/Winter 2023/24 fashion events week will be from 24-28 March 2023, and the Men's Fall/Winter 2023/24 will take place from 28-30 January 2023.
London Fashion Week, United Kingdom
As one of the most popular fashion weeks around the world, London Fashion Week is an annual fashion event that takes place twice a year. It brings together fashion, culture, and technology.
During the days of the fashion week events, the overall event is organized by the British Fashion Council with partnerships with different brands, retailers, and other partners in the fashion related industry.
Known as one of the "Big Four" fashion weeks of the world, the London Fashion Week events brings together over 250 designers for the five day event. There are even events off of the schedule that aim to discover new and upcoming designers who can not display during the fashion events of the week.
After the fashion week is over, the British Fashion Council even hosts the London Fashion Week Festival, which is an event catered toward the general public. It often highlights local designers.
In 2022, London's Fashion Week will occur from 11-13 June 2022 and 16-20 September 2022. They will follow a schedule incorporating both physical and digital events. This will allow for more viewers to the event and free accessibility to everyone.
Milan Fashion Week, Italy
As one of the "Big Four" fashion weeks, Milan Fashion Week is a fashion week that aims to promote and highlight Italian fashion designers, that are both in Italy or international.
What makes Milan Fashion Week different from all other fashion week events is that the majority of brands and designers present are from its country, Italy. Some of these brands and designers include large fashion week names as Gianni Versace, Miuccia Prada, and Dolce & Gabbana.
Organized and run by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, this week long event consists of famous fashion shows and runways, exhibitions, and showcases of different designers and brands.
The Milan Fashion Week takes place twice each year. In 2022, the Fall/Winter 2022 show is from 22-28 February 2022 and the Spring/Summer 2023 collection is from 20-26 September 2022.
Furthermore, there is the Men's Milan Fashion Week that takes place twice a year, once in January and once in June. While this is smaller in size, it highlights the newest menswear styles and trends for the upcoming ear.
New York Fashion Week, United States
Similarly to Milan, New York Fashion Week is another one of the "Big Four" fashion weeks that had a large impact on the course and history of American fashion.
The New York fashion events week is full of a range of designers, with many showcased being international creating an international fashion events atmosphere. The overall week-long event is organized by the Council of Fashion Designers America (called the CFDA).
The CFDA is key in driving and innovating the fashion week. They make sure to incorporate the following factors into the week-long event: education, business development, diversity, and creative expression.
This year, it will take place in a mostly in-person format, with a long list of designers and brands ready to show. Classic designers that have shown at New York Fashion Week beforehand include Michael Kors and Tory Burch.
For the fashion show 2022, New York Fashion Week took place from 11-16 February for the Fall/Winter, as well as being held from 9-14 September 2022 for the Spring/Summer collections. The Men's Fashion Week events take place in July and February.
Paris Fashion Week, France
Paris Fashion Week is the last of the "Big Four" fashion weeks across the world. Paris is commemorated as being the place from which fashion weeks derived, as many shows in couture salons date far back.
Many of the shows and events take place at famous historical landmarks, such as the Carrousel du Louvre. Many famous designers and brands attend, such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Dior.
Designers and brands attending the fashion events range from Parisian to international. Often, the collections will follow a specific theme or feature to bring cohesion to a collection.
Showcases within the fashion shows are known to be spectacles, with extravagant sets and backdrops. These settings complement the collections and make for an interesting show.
This year, the Fall/Winter collection fashion week took place from 28 February through the 8 of March. The Spring/Summer showcase will be from 26 September to 4 October 2022.
Shanghai Fashion Week, China
Shanghai Fashion Week is one of the rising fashion weeks, with the event growing quickly around the world. It happens twice a year during the month-long Shanghai International Fashion Culture Festival.
Aside from Shanghai brands, many international designers and brands also attend. This especially includes those who are trying to target China as a potential consumer market.
A large emphasis during this fashion week is new up-and-coming designers. Often, these designers center around themes of cultural heritage, sustainability, and female empowerment.
A key aspect of this fashion week is creating cultural self-confidence. Many designers incorporate traditional Chinese design elements into their looks and collections.
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, this important week of fashion events in China has been postponed for a second time. The Fall/Winter collections were shown on 24 March to 1 April 2022.
Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo, Japan
The Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo is hosted twice a year by the Japan Fashion Week Organization (often referred to as the JFW Foundation).
An important goal of this fashion week is to bring together in cooperation designers, manufacturers, and retailers within the industry. This is accompanied by being the gateway to the industry for new upcoming designers.
Furthermore, Tokyo considers itself to be the gateway of fashion between the East and West, making it a pivotal reference point for Asian fashion.
The fashion industry in Rakuten encourages individuality and creativity, which makes the looks and collections from designers and brands very unique. This parallels with how fast the fashion industry in Rakuten is growing since designers are free to express themselves more.
The Fall/Winter collections of the fashion show 2022 took place from 14-19 March 2022. The Spring/Summer 2023 collections fashion week will be from 29 August to 3 September 2022.
CFDA Fashion Awards, United States
The Council of Fashion Designers of America organizes the annual CFDA Fashion Awards. The mission of the event is to strengthen the impact that American fashion has on the overall global economy.
This Award ceremony is guided by three main pillars: diversity, equity, and inclusion. There is also strong emphasis on sustainability in the fashion industry and impact initiative.
One interesting aspect of the CFDA Fashion Awards is that is prioritizes supporting new upcoming designers. The foundation even offers Educational Initiatives to help these designers throughout college and the beginning of their career in the workforce.
This past year included some iconic winners of awards. The American Emerging Designer of 2021 was Edvin Thompson. Perhaps the most popular well-known award, the 2021 Fashion Icon Award went to Zendaya.
For 2022, the announcement of nominations for each award will take place during September 2022. The CFDA Fashion Awards will be held on 7 November, 2022 in Manhattan, New York.
Met Gala, United States
Sometimes referred to as "fashion's biggest night out", the Met Gala is an annual fashion event fundraising gala attended by some of the most famous and iconic celebrities and stars.
Organized by the fashion magazine Vogue, each year revolves around a specific theme that most attendees follow. This theme directly correlates to the annual fashion exhibit held at the Costume Institute's Museum.
Having a theme allows the many celebrities and designers to interpret the theme in their own ways. This makes for unique and intricate outfits. Past iconic themes of the Met Gala include Camp: Notes on Fashion and Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.
Always hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the 2022 Met Gala was hosted on May 2. The next Met Gala will be on May 1, 2023.
The theme of the 2022 Met Gala comes from a two-part Costume Institute exhibition from the previous year. In the 2021 fashion show the theme was In America: A Lexicon of Fashion. This was followed by 2022's theme of In America: An Anthology of Fashion.
Paris Haute Couture Week, France
Paris Haute Couture Week is a fashion event week that is attended by some of the top fashion brands and houses. These include well-known names as Christian Dior, Chanel, and Valentino.
Haute couture is a term used to describe clothing and outfits tailored to a specific customer. This type of fashion is made from high-quality materials with extreme attention to details, It is often a time-consuming production process.
The Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode helps organize this event. The event highlights the big shifts in the fashion industry, forecasting the year to come.
One detail that is seen as prestige during this week is the handmade pieces made specifically to fit the model. The unique models of clothing is crafted to the client's exact measurements, making it an exquisite design.
In 2022, the Paris Haute Couture Week was during 24-27 January and the upcoming one is from 4-7 July. The format will be in-person for the first time since 2020.
Pitti Immagine Uomo, Italy
Another one of the fashion events in Italy, the Pitti Immagine Uomo is a twice-a-year event held in Florence, Italy. Attending the event are both Italian designers and brands, as well as international ones.
The event takes place at the Stazione Leopolda, a railroad station located within Florence. This location makes for a show filled with art, culture, and structural design.
Focussing on men's fashion clothing and accessories, some of the world's finest tailoring and avant-garde styles are showcased throughout this fashion event.
While some of the most known brands attend the event, there are also many emerging and up-and-coming designers and brands who attend. They use Pitti Immagine Uomo as a launch to make themselves more known in the international market.
In 2022, the first showcase event was from 11-13 of January. The next Pitti Immagine Uomo will occur from 14-17 of June in Florence, Italy.
Throughout the year, one can find many worldwide fashion events to watch and attend. From the "Big Four" of London, Milan, New York, and Paris to many other cities throughout the world, fashion events are constantly happening.
Often giving insight into upcoming trends and designs, these events highlight the future through fashion shows, runways, and exhibits.
We highlighted some of the best worldwide fashion events above for you to explore. These are a great watch to keep up with and know the future of the fashion industry.