Fashion capital

A fashion capital is a city with major influence on international fashion scene, from history, heritage, designers, trends, styles, to manufacturing innovation and retailing of fashion products, including events such as fashion weeks, fashion council awards, and trade fairs that together, generate significant economic output.[1]

Liu Wen, supermodel, walks the runway modeling fashions by designer Diane von Fürstenberg at New York Fashion Week 2013.

With exquisite fashion heritage and the best fashion designers of the last century, four capital cities are considered the main fashion capitals of the 21st century. Called the "Big Four" these cities are: Paris, London, New York City, and Milan[1][2]

Definition of a fashion capital

A fashion capital assumes leadership role in the design of fashion, the creation of styles, and the emergence of trends. In addition, fashion capitals have a broad mix of business, artistic, entertainment, cultural and leisure activities and are internationally recognized for having a unique and strong identity.[3] The status of a fashion capital is also linked to the city's domestic and international profile.[4] Fashion capitals are part of a wider social construct scene, with design schools, fashion magazines, and powerful market of affluent consumers of fashion.[4]

Since the 16th century, Paris had been regarded as the fashion capital of the world, followed by Milan. However, while Paris has continued to thrive as the world's capital of fashion, the economic development of London and New York, with fashion weeks, celebrity shows, fashion magazines and emerging designers, eclipsed Milan. Nowadays, while the term fashion capital is still used to describe cities that hold fashion weeks, most prominently Paris, London, New York, and Milan [5][6][7][8][9] it is the economic development and stylistic, created by a fashion capital city, that matters to the showbiz and fashion industry.[10][11] Also, nowadays, the term of fashion capital includes other world cities known for hosting notable fashion events and have influential designers in the world of global fashion.[12]

History

Historically, several cities have been, in turn, fashion capitals. During the Renaissance era, different city-states in what would become modern-day Italy were Europe's main trendsetters,[13] due to the cultural power they exerted in that period of time. This includes cities such as Paris, London, Milan, and Florence.

Progressing into the late-16th century, with influence of the English Royal Court, London became a major city in European fashion. Similarly, due to the power of Spain at the period, the Spanish court started to influence fashion, making it a major centre. In the 17th century, as the Renaissance started to fade away, with the power of the French court under Louis XIV, Paris established itself as Europe's main fashion centre.[14]

During the 19th century, with the powerful British Empire and young Queen Victoria on the throne (from 1837), London once again became a major fashion leader.[15] However, it continued to look to Paris for stylistic inspiration, and the British 'father of haute couture' Charles Frederick Worth relocated to Paris in 1846. He did this to perfect and then commercialize his craft, also holding the first fashion shows and launching the concept of fashion labels there.[16]

20th century and beyond
New York's Garment District, 1955

During the Golden Twenties, Berlin was considered the vanguard fashion capital.[17]

Throughout the 20th century – but particularly after World War II – New York City rose in stature as a fashion capital, challenging the dominance of Paris with a different approach, especially in its development and popularization of sportswear as fashion during the 1940s and '50s.[18]

During the 1950s, Italy rose in prominence again.[19] Florence re-emerged as a leading city in fashion,[20] although focus shifted to Milan from the 1970s on as leading design houses moved to the city.[21]

"Swinging London," Carnaby Street, c1966

In the 1980s, Tokyo claimed its place as a fashion capital with a new generation of avant-garde designers, including Issey Miyake or Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons gaining worldwide attention, even if most of the city's newcomers gained prominence after showcasing their clothing in Paris. The fashion was radically different in both its use of textiles and in the way designers cut and draped.[22][23]

Since then, new fashion hubs have emerged worldwide, and the old order has faced challenges from all corners of the globe, including Africa, South America, and Australasia.[24] Since 2007, Berlin has again been highlighted as an increasingly important centre for global fashion trends.[25][26]

A 2011 issue of Fashion Theory: Journal of Dress, Body and Culture explored the move away from the traditional dominance of five key cities (New York, Paris, Milan, Tokyo, and London), with co-editor Lise Skov, suggesting what she described as a "poly-centric" fashion industry developing in the 21st century.[18]

In 2019, the Vienna-based fashion intelligence firm IFDAQ under the leadership of fashion sociologist Professor Frédéric Godart measured in a scientific approach the importance, influence and impact of cities in the fashion industry with neural networks from a large data lake. The resulting IFDAQ Global Fashion and Luxury Cities Index[27] revealed New York as the leading fashion capital, followed by Paris, Milan, and London. A further elaboration of the data in cooperation with the Institution of Engineering and Technology visualized the impact of geopolitical events on the fashion capitals, including Brexit and the US-China trade war.[1]

A 2010 Milan Fashion Week event

See also

References
  1. The, VOU (29 April 2022). "Top 10 Fashion Capitals Of The World In 2022". The VOU. The VOU. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  2. "The Big Four: fashion capitals of the world". The Daily Issue. 5 February 2014. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  3. Gemperli, Natalia. "Fashion World Mapper: Your City on the Trend Radar". Master Thesis, University of the Arts Zürich. June 2010.
  4. Florida, Richard (7 September 2012). "The World's Leading Cities for Fashion". The Atlantic Cities. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  5. Armstrong, Lisa (22 September 2013). "Is there a future for Fashion Week?". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  6. Bradford, Julie (2014). Fashion Journalism. Routledge. p. 129. ISBN 9781136475368.
  7. Dillon, Susan (2011). The Fundamentals of Fashion Management. A&C Black. p. 115. ISBN 9782940411580.
  8. Godart, Frédéric (2012). Unveiling Fashion: Business, Culture, and Identity in the Most Glamorous Industry. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 57. ISBN 9781137000743.
  9. "The Big Four : Fashion Capitals of the World". Fashion Days. 5 February 2014. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  10. "The Big Four: Fashion capitals of the World". Fashion Days. 5 February 2014. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  11. Heyman, Stephen (1 October 2014). "The Figures Behind the Catwalk". New York Times.
  12. "Top fashion weeks around the world". The Independent. 2 January 2011. Archived from the original on 5 January 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  13. "Renaissance Fashion". Renaissance-spell.com. 9 May 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  14. Godart, Frédéric (2014), "The power structure of the fashion industry: Fashion capitals, globalization and creativity", International Journal of Fashion Studies, 1 (1): 39–57, doi:10.1386/infs.1.1.39_1, archived from the original on 21 March 2016, retrieved 8 October 2015
  15. Johnstone, Lucy. "Corsets & Crinoline in Victorian Fashion". V&A. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  16. staff. "Worth". Vogue. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  17. Schreiber, Mathias (23 November 2012). "The Age of Excess: Berlin in the Golden Twenties". Der Spiegel. SPIEGEL. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  18. "Fashioning the City: Exploring Fashion Cultures, Structures and Systems". Royal College of Art. 27 January 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  19. Fearon, Francesca (31 March 2014). "Exhibition at London's V&A Museum to chronicle rise of Italian Fashion". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  20. "the birth of italian fashion". Gbgiorgini.it. Archived from the original on 16 October 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  21. Bruzzi, Stella; et al. (2013). Fashion Cultures Revisited 2013. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. p. 23. ISBN 9781136474736.
  22. "Japan Fashion Now". 2010–11. Fashion Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  23. "Miyake, Kawakubo, and Yamamoto: Japanese Fashion in the Twentieth Century". Metrolopolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  24. staff (2 January 2011). "2011 top fashion weeks around the world: Paris, New York, Milan, Tokyo..." The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 January 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  25. Staff (17 January 2012). "Germany's fashion capital: the improbable rise of Berlin". 17 January 2012. Fashion United. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  26. Scholz, Kay-Alexander (18 January 2012). "The Phoenix of Fashion Rises in Berlin". Die Welt. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  27. http://research.ifdaq.com/cities/ IFDAQ Global Fashion and Luxury Cities - Top 30
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