FASHION CAPITALS & THE

DESIGNERS
OVFI- FP
FASHION CAPITALS
 New York
 Paris

 Milan

 London

 Tokyo

*A Fashion Capital is a location which is influential in fashion and

in which fashion is important. A fashion capital would be the
home of many top designers, modeling agencies, and other
allied industries ( Retailers, manufactures etc) and most
importantly the consumers .
It is decided each year by the amount of business generated
and influence through media in fashion. each year a list of
cities based on rank is released stating the fashion capitals of
the world
FOR 2009, THE GLOBAL LANGUAGE MONITOR DESCRIBES
THESE AS THE LEADING FASHION CITIES IN THEIR
RESPECTIVE REGIONS

 Asia and Oceania: Hong Kong, Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai,

Singapore, Osaka, Bangkok, Mumbai, New Delhi
 Europe: Milan, Paris, Rome, London, Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid,
Stockholm, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Florence, Naples
and Turin.
 Latin America: Sao Paulo,Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Buenos Aires,
Mexico City
 Middle and Eastern Europe: Moscow, Krakow, Prague
 Middle East and Africa: Dubai, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Tel Aviv.
 North America: New York City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami,
Dallas, Toronto, Montreal, Atlanta
 FASHION WEEK
 A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting
approximately one week, which allows fashion
designers, brands or "houses" to display their latest
collections in runway shows and buyers to take a look at
the latest trends.
 Most importantly, it lets the industry know what's "in"
and what's "out" for the season. The most prominent
fashion weeks are held in the fashion capitals Milan,
London, New York, and Paris.
FASHION WEEK & FASHION CAPITAL
 The schedule begins with New York, followed by
London, with the penultimate fashion week in Milan
ending the events in Paris. These four cities are the
traditional "big four" fashion weeks that are followed by
new emerging fashion weeks globally. The Menswear
shows occur in between autumn(fall)/winter and
spring/summer in Milan.
 Some fashion weeks can be genre-specific, such as a
Miami Fashion Week (Swimwear), Rio Summer
(Swimwear), Prêt-a-Porter (ready-to-wear) Fashion
Week, Couture (one-of-a-kind designer original) Fashion
Week and Bridal Fashion Week, while Portland (Oregon,
USA) Fashion Week shows some eco-friendly designers.
 In the major fashion capitals, fashion weeks are
semiannual events. January through March designers
showcase their autumn and winter collections and
September through November the spring/summer
collections are shown.

 Fashion weeks must be held several months in advance

of the season to allow the press and buyers a chance to
preview the designs for the following season. This is also
to allow time for retailers to arrange to purchase or
incorporate the designs into their retail marketing.
 NEW YORK
N
top
ew York City has been recognized as a
fashion capital known for its
chic street and business wears and its
designers. The city is known for good
entertainments in musicals, interesting tour
sites and various museums.
New York City is known for a big
cosmopolitan population, liberalism, and
business central world wide. The busy and
cosmopolitan society brought the qualities
of the city to make it as a fashion capital.
The city has produced many great
designers, mostly known for the street and
daily wears. Two of the most famous
designers from New York are Donna Karen
for DKNY and Calvin Klein. Their fashion
houses became world wide famous for their
chic casual and formal wears for all the
people.
NEW YORK AS FASHION CAPITAL.
 New York City isn't just the fashion design capital of the U.S., it was the
fashion capital for the world for a long time till Milan displaced it last year.
It's little wonder that top designers like Calvin Klein, Norma Kamali, and
Donna Karan went to fashion school in New York City. Mark Badgley and
James Mischka, Tom Ford, and Anna Sui opted for NYC fashion design
school educations
 The Garment District is a neighborhood of the New York City, located
between Fifth and Ninth Avenues from 34th to 42nd Street. It has been
known since the early 20th century as the center for fashion design and
manufacturing in the United States.

 The Garment District is the fashion center of New York City. Approximately
one square mile in area, the district is bordered by the Javits Convention
Center at the extreme west, the New York General Post Office, Penn
Station, and Madison Square Garden in the center, and the Empire State
Building in the east. The neighborhood is home to the warehouses and
workshops of the fashion industry.
DONNA KAREN
Donna Karen created the
DKNY (Donna Karen New
York) line in New York,
launched its first store in 1999
at Madison Avenue and 60th in
Manhattan.
Known for their causality, the
line holds its fashion shows for
the ready-to-wear collections
in the Fall and Spring shows.
 CALVIN KLEIN
Calvin Klein founded the Calvin Klein
Inc. in 1968 and emerged as the top
classic American designer.
The most famous branch of the
incorporation of the Calvin Klein house is
the Calvin Klein Collection.
They design for women and men‟s wears
in all different areas; from casual, daily
wears to formal. The related fashion
houses with Calvin Klein are the other
branches of the Calvin Klein Inc., the ck
Calvin Klein and Calvin Klein Jeans.
 PARIS
P aris is the most influential fashion capital
of all in the world. The city is also known
for great architecture and food.

It became the top fashion capital due to its

history of the fashion fanatic royalties.
The city produced many famous designers
and fashion houses which gained
tremendous popularity all over the world.
Paris is now the essential city to visit and
learn fashion for the people with big dreams
in the fashion industry. Karl Lagerfeld for
The House of Chanel and Marc Jacobs of
Louis Vuitton are one of the most top
designers that made the brands more
popular.
Paris also has its most prominent fashion
destination; „the golden triangle‟ which is
formed between the Avenue Marceau, the
Champs-Elysées, and the Avenue
Montaigne. It also has specific roads that are
dedicated exclusively to fashion.
KARL LAGERFELD
The House of Chanel, more
commonly known as Chanel,
was founded by Coco Chanel in
France in the 1910‟s. Chanel‟s
exquisite and luxury line has
made them one of the most
sought after brand of all time.
Chanel has its fashion shows of
the ready-to-wear and haute
couture in Fall and Spring shows
in Paris, France. Chanel is now
under is chief designer Karl
Lagerfeld.
 MARC JACOBS
Louis Vuitton is a luxury French
brand founded by Louis Vuitton in
1854. It the number one in luxury
brands of all time. Louis Vuitton
holds its fashion shows in the Fall
and Spring Paris Fashion Week
along with Chanel.
Marc Jacob took over the company
as the creative director, and
revolutionized the fashion industry.
The other famous fashion houses in
the area are Dior, Givenchy, and
Valentino
 MILAN
Milan is the business, fashion and design capital
of Italy, with numerous fashion and trade fairs in
the Rho` district of the city. It is also Italy's
second largest and richest city. The city is split
into 9 zones and full of beautiful architecture,
lively nightlife and many museums and
exhibitions
The city has produced many luxury brands from
various designers and became one of the fashion
destination of the world. Giorgio Armani and
Gianni Versace have created a mega fashion
empires from their fashion houses they created.
Leading national and international fashion designers
all have stores within the area between Via
Manzoni, Via Montenapoleone, Via della Spiga
and Via Sant'Andrea, with famous names
including Armani, Laura Biagiotti, Gucci, Krizia,
MaxMara, Missoni, Prada, Trussardi, Valentino
and Versace
GIORGIO ARMANI
Giorgio Armani was born on 11 July 1934 in
Piacenza, Italy. He was originally trained in
medicine, then gave it up to pursue
photography, before being called up for
national service in 1957. He then worked in a
department store, La Rinascente, as a
window dresser. From 1961 to 1970, Armani
worked as a designer in well-known fashion
house Nino Cerruti, after which he left to
pursue freelance work. In 1974, with
assistance from his partner, Sergio Galeotti,
he established his own company, Giorgio
Armani, with a menswear label, introducing a
ladies' wear line in 1975. He is known for his
clean, tailored lines.
Armani Exchange, one of the brand created
in 1991, sells casual clothing for both men
and women. Emporio Armani sells more
luxury clothing and luggage goods. The
brand holds its fashion shows in Milan for its
Fall and Spring Ready-To-Wear collections
and for its Resort collections.
DONATELLA VERSACE
Versace is one of the leading luxury fashion
brand in the world along with Chanel and
Gucci. Versace was started by the Italian
designer, Gianni Versace, in 1978.
The fashion empire holds its fashion shows in the
Milan Fall and Spring Ready-To-Wear
collections and also in Couture fashion show.
Donatella Versace took over the house as the vice
president and creative director, and his brother,
Santo Versace, became the CEO of the Versace
house.
 LONDON
London is known for great architectural
marvels , and urban gathering places, such
as Leicester Square, (where they hold
world film premiers).
London fashion is known for classic, casual
and formal luxury clothing for people all
around. Christopher Bailey of Burberry,
and Alexander McQueen, London's McQ's
founder has created London to spark as
one of the classic and thrilling fashion
capital.
One of the most famous locations in London
is King‟s Road which had been seen as one
of the most important fashion location in
the whole of Europe
CHRISTOPHER BAILEY
Thomas Burberry founded Burberry
Prorsum in London, England in 1856
when he was twenty-one years old.
He has created a fashion mega house by
creating the legendary Burberry's
signature black, white and red stripes.
The brand creates clothing, luggage,
and other fashion goods. It shows its
collections in Milan Fashion Week, for
their Ready-To-Wear lines for Fall and
Spring, and Resort lines. The Burberry
house has made into a classic
fashionable brand demanded highly by
the people world wide to the present
day.
Christopher Bailey is the current creative
director of Burberry.
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
Alexander McQueen is a creative English
designer recognized world wide. He started as
a chief designer for French Haute Couture
House Givenchy in 1996.
McQueen created his own house, McQ in
January 2006 for denim based clothing line for
women, men and accessories. The house holds
its fashion shows for the Ready-To-Wear
collections in Paris for the Paris Fashion Week.
 TOKYO
Tokyo is the first Asian city to be recognized as
a fashion capital.
The young people have very radical styles,
from punk gothic to chic street styles, which
has inspired many people around the world.
The name "Shibuya" is also used to refer to
the central business district of Shibuya Ward,
which surrounds Shibuya Station, one of
Tokyo's busiest railway stations. Shibuya is
known as one of the fashion centers of Japan,
particularly for young people, and as a major
nightlife area.
Ginza is known as an upscale area of Tokyo
with numerous department stores, boutiques,
restaurants and coffeehouses. It is recognized
as one of the most luxurious shopping
districts in the world (a kin to New York
City's Fifth Avenue). Many upscale western-
fashion clothing flagship stores are located
here. Prominent is Chanel, Louis Vuitton,
and Gucci
Harajuku is known for its street fashion !
MORI HANAE
Mori Hanae is one of the first designers to
be recognized in Japan.
She has transformed the Japanese
clothing with a mix of haute couture
fashion. She started to work in the
fashion industry when she attended a
design school in Japan and married to a
family in the textile industry.
Hanae started a private company to
design clothes for limited costumers and
theatrical companies. Mori Hanae‟s first
Ready-To-Wear collection was shown in
New York in 1965, and opened fashion
boutiques in Tokyo. Her signature
clothing is kimono inspired evening
gowns and jackets.
 YOHJI
YMAMOTO
 The style he created "suppresses mode with
antimode".

 He expresses his philosophy and avant-guard

spirit in his clothing, frequently creating
designs far removed from current trends.

 Basically, he makes a line characterized by

oversized silhouettes; it typically features
drapes (loose gathers and tatters) in glossy
textures that naturally change with the figure's
contours and movement. Often, a single color
(particularly black) and a single shade are
used.
 Assignment Details
 Group Presentation: On cities of Paris, Milan, London, New York & Tokyo.
(Common Submission for group. Members) - Part 1

 Individual Presentation on designers by all Group members - 6 Designers (1

designer each) or Famous Design houses would need to be covered (Individual
Submission) – Part 2

 Get more information on fashion week of the top 15 fashion cities of the
world (the starting year 2009, the participating brands/fashion houses etc)
Part 3

 Power point presentation by group & individual

Submission:-
So when you are submitting your individual assignments the first few pages
of your document should have your group assignment work followed by
your individual assignment.
Document should be supported with relevant pictures - spiral bound.

 Documentation of all designers presented in the class -- to be written with

details in learning diary – Part 4
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
New York
 DKNY: Wikipedia. “Donna Karan” [Online] 29 February 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.o
rg/wiki/Donna_Karan>
 Calvin Klein: Wikipedia “Calvin Klein” [Online] 26 February 2008. <http://en.wikipe
dia.org/wiki/Calvin_klein>

Paris
 Chanel: Wikipedia. “Chanel” [Online] 29 February 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wi
ki/Chanel>
 Louis Vuitton: Wikipedia “Louise Vuitton” [Online] 25 February 2008. <http://en.wik
ipedia.org/wiki/Louis_vuitton>

Milan
 Giorgio Armani:
 Wikipedia “Giorgio Armani” [Online] 22 February 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wi
ki/Giorgio_Armani>
 Style.com “Giorgio Armani” [Online] 18 February 2008. <http://www.style.com/fashi
onshows/collections/F2008RTW/review/GARMANI>
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
London
 Burberry Prorsum:
 Wikipedia “Burberry” [Online] 26 February 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Burberry>
 Style.com “Burberry Prorsum” [Online] 18 Febuary 2008. <http://www.
style.com/fashionshows/collections/F2008RTW/review/BURBERRY>
 Alexander McQueen:
 Wikipedia “Alexander McQueen” [Online] 21 February 2008. <http://en
.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_mcqueen>
 Alexander McQueen.com “Biography” [Online] Unknown. <http://www
.alexandermcqueen.com/flash.html>

Tokyo
 Mori Hanae: Modern Japan “Fashion Designers” [Online] Unknown. <
http://www.japan-zone.com/modern/mori_hanae.shtml>
 Miyake Issei: Modern Japan “Fashion Designers” [Online] Unknown. <
http://www.japan-zone.com/modern/miyake_issei.shtml>