Paris is welcoming the Fashion Week from February 27th to March 6th 2018. On this occasion, dozens of fashion shows will be organized in the French fashion capital along with the presence of models, designers and fashion journalists.
It will also be a great opportunity for smaller brands to make themselves known, for instance through the organization of showrooms. These events will indeed allow you to benefit from the Parisian Fashion Week’s crowd, and thus to enhance your reputation. It is also a way to increase the notoriety of the Parisian fashion week and to promote the French expertise among your clients. But do you really know the history hiding behind the Fashion Week? To understand the importance of this particular fashion event, let’s focus on its evolution.
What does Fashion Week really mean?
As its name implies, the Fashion week is a week dedicated to fashion. During this period, the read-to-wear brands and major couture houses present their collections. It is important to differentiate the Haute Couture Fashion Week, which presents exceptional models and is dedicated to VIP customers, and the ready-to-wear Fashion Week. This one addresses to a larger audience.
Some history…
The idea of promoting fashion goes back to the XVIIth century, during the reign of Louis XIV. In order to enhance his leadership, the King would summon the greatest tailors to Versailles, so they would dress the royal court. It is how Paris became the most influent in the fashion industry. One century later, in 1858, the French couturier Charles Frederick Worth was the first person to create models according to his inspirations and to launch his own collections. He became the founding father of fashion shows.
Despite France’s fashion influence, the first Fashion Week was organized in New-york. During, the Second World War, many designers took refuge in the United States to express their creativity. During this key period, Eleanor Lambert, a very influent woman in the fashion industry, founded the New York Fashion Week in 1943, more popularly known as the Press Week.
1973: first Parisian Fashion Week
Paris will have to wait more than 30 years before organizing its first Parisian Fashion Week. The event was a fine combination of Haute Couture, ready-to-wear and men’s fashion. Organized by the French Federation of Couture, this first Parisian Fashion Week was originally organized for a fundraising, in order to restore the Palace of Versailles. 20 years later, the Parisian Fashion Week sets up its headquarters in the Louvre’s Carrousel. It was inaugurated by Karl Lagerfeld for his first Haute Couture collection for the House Chanel. Paris regains its status of world fashion capital and becomes one of the best fashion cities in the world. After sixteen years in the Louvres, the Parisian Fashion Week settles in different places in Paris. This change was initiated by the president of the French Couture union committee, who considered that the Carrousel wasn’t suited for the designer’s avant-gardism. From now on, every house organizes its fashion show in a place that fits best its collection.
What if, during the Parisian Fashion Week, you let the event agency Make It Happen organize your temporary showroom? It is a great way to increase your reputation!
Article written for Make It Happen (the content can be freely modified by the client)
