From Tbilisi to Lagos, and from Seoul to Tokyo as well as Shanghai, A NEW WORLD MAP OF FASHION WEEKS is taking root. And it’s revealing what will be the “glocal” market of tomorrow
It’s always fashion week somewhere in the world. This is the phrase that circulates among fashion’s insiders. And it’s true. From one month to the next, there’s an almost uninterrupted chain of fashion weeks kicking off in the most disparate places, and not just in the traditional fashion capitals. In fact, over the last ten years, fashion weeks have shown a double- gure increase in terms of organisation and attendance, with over 150 events now taking place each year. The opening up of borders, especially in Europe, and the relaxation of trade restrictions have led to an exponential growth, not only regarding overall participation (25,000 visitors were counted last October at Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo, where labels like Hyke, Yohei Ohno and Moto Guo presented their collections), but also and above all in terms of international journalists and buyers, who are invited by organising bodies to play their vital role, i.e. “connecting” designers and consumers. “Every season we see a greater number of international visitors, and on average we have 1,000 participating buyers,” explains Jumi Choi, organiser of Hera Seoul Fashion Week, one of the most important events of its kind in Asia. Last October it inaugurated a partnership with the online lifestyle retailer Yoox which gave four Korean brands – Beyond Closet, DBYD, Fleamadonna and Kye – the chance to produce and sell special capsule collections. Apart from the birth of new collaborations, department stores such as Lane Crawford, Selfridges (in London) and TsUM are purchasing more and more of the clothes seen on runways. Indeed, big retailers are increasingly interested in emerging talents. “Georgian labels like Situationist, Lalo and Avtandil have recorded their best sales performances over the last few seasons. Not long ago, it would have been hard to imagine such results,” says So a Tchkonia, the founder and creative director of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tbilisi, which sees 42 East European designers parading their creations twice a year. The soaring popularity of international fashion weeks is partly fuelled by the spread of social media, and it has also led to local talents enjoying greater attention. Designers are supported by mentorship and promotional programmes such as “LFDW Presents”. The creative director of Lagos Fashion and Design Week, Omoyemi Akerele, explains: “Through these tradeshows, we offer brands such as Meena, Loza Maléombho and AAKS the opportunity to make contact with showrooms, retailers and journalists from all around the world. It’s an initiative in partnership with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council.” A different kind of organisation con gures the Labelhood showcasing platform, which coincides with Shanghai Fashion Week. “Support for local talents assumes a B2C approach, or business to consumer. Brands like Angel Chen, Minki and Staffonly do two presentations of their collections, rstly to 40 or 50 buyers and journalists, and then to the public. This has the effect of boosting their potential among future purchasers,” explains Quentina Yuan, deputy CEO at Labelhood. This is proving to be a successful formula, as demonstrated by the 50% increase in participating designers each season. These are highly signi cant gures, con rming the status of fashion weeks as a vital support for the growth of local brands.