Which Fashion Weeks does VILED attend?

The world of fashion is like a fairy tale in reality. And it is not at all surprising that tens of millions of people around the world dream of at least one day becoming the hero of this fairy tale and going to the show of a famous house or even a small promising brand. Let's not lie - this is truly a fairy tale and a very unique experience. A theatrical show, a source of inspiration and knowledge. But becoming a guest of the show is so difficult that many wishful thinking and create a farce for the sake of their own ego, public image or subscribers on social networks. There are so many “fakes” that we decided to talk about how fashion shows are actually organized, who gets to them and how.

Local Fashion Weeks are held in almost every country. But the world elite traditionally includes only four of them. These are the “big four”: New York, London, Milan and Paris. It is in this order and along this trajectory. Ready-to-wear shows (clothes that then end up in boutiques) are organized twice a year: February-March and September-October. Men's Fashion Weeks take place in January and June. In Paris, couture follows closely behind.

Fashion weeks are usually ranked. New York is the most commercial of all. Everything here is tailored not to trends, but to sales and tastes of American consumers. That's why Europeans and Asians almost never come here. VILED buyers are always welcome here, but we make exceptions only for the sake of individual partners. We can fly, for example, to the Proenza Schouler or Tom Ford shows, which are represented in our assortment. Or at the invitation of close friends from Tiffany & Co. Many influential jewelry houses organize private presentations of new precious collections during Fashion Week. This is what Cartier and Boucheron do in Paris, for example.

London Fashion Week is the wildest. British fashion stands apart from most trends. Grunge and punk have been celebrated here for decades. The London scene is interesting to follow for inspiration. There is a lot of breakthrough styling on the local catwalks, which is interesting to then use in the filming of our advertising campaigns. In addition, London often becomes a “second home” for brands from other countries that target an international audience and want to attract attention. For example, as the young Turkish woman Dilara Findikoglu does.

The two Fashion Weeks that VILED never misses are Milan and Paris. This is a real marathon. In two and a half weeks, we attend about 30 shows and fifty private presentations. Sometimes there is time for partner dinners and cocktails. This is also an important part of the job!

Not all shows that are staged in New York, London, Milan and Paris are official and status. A large number of brands, including from Kazakhstan, come to the city on designated dates and organize their shows in parallel, at the same time. But to say that a designer automatically becomes a “Fashion Week participant” is a misconception. Fashion Week participants are only those brands that are included in the official show schedule and have received a license to do so.

Every Fashion Week is a national treasure. Therefore, they take place under the auspices of government organizations. In order for a brand to become a “Fashion Week participant”, it must become part of one of the organizations and submit an application to host a show.

New York Fashion Week is held under the auspices of the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America). London Fashion Week - British Fashion Council. Milan Fashion Week – Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (National Chamber of Fashion of Italy) Paris Fashion Week - Federación de la Haute Couture.

If one of your familiar stylists or concierge services promises you “to get to Fashion Week” or “take part in a Fashion Week show” - take this promise critically and, first of all, check the official schedule. Does it include a brand?

There is nothing criminal or indecent about going to shows that are not on the schedule. Vice versa! Many start-up brands especially appreciate this attention and are happy to seat guests in the front row. But "Milan show" and "Milan Fashion Week show" are not just a matter of terminology. This is a different status.

Another popular type of “fraud” and self-deception is a trip to “street style fashion week”. This option has recently been actively promoted by stylists on social networks. This means that the person does not have an invitation to the show and cannot enter the hall. But he pretends in every possible way that he is involved in what is happening. The influencer arrives dressed up and made up at the entrance to the show and begins to parade in front of hundreds of photographers who stand at the entrance.

How and for whom does it work? For your own social networks. A mark near the entrance to the show with a brand mark creates the illusion of involvement. And it gives you hope that, in this way, the brand’s PR team will notice you and invite you to the show next season. Photos of prominent street style participants end up in international photo banks, which means there is a chance that shots of the image will be posted in the media.

But it’s one thing when stylists/influencers simply show off and get views this way, and another thing when they try to make money from the dreams of their clients. “The chance to attend Dior/Chanel/Prada street style” is selling air.

Any Fashion Week show is a closed event. The number of guests can vary from 40 to 400. And each brand receives hundreds of thousands of applicants and requests. It is a great honor to be among those invited by the brand. This is a confirmation of your role as a professional in the fashion industry. The show's guests are a mix of editors, buyers, celebrities, influencers, partners and sometimes clients. Clients who receive an invitation are unique. A place in the first or second row is ensured by a certain amount of purchases per year. Those brands that have a haute couture studio invite couture clients to their shows.

It's becoming increasingly difficult for people outside the industry to get on shows as friends. Just 10-12 years ago, it was enough to arm yourself with the business card of an invited friend and go through twice under the same name, and then, having squeezed in, fit in one place. Now lists are taken much more seriously, and security services are keeping an eye on them. Not only top brands, but also “little ones” are increasingly asking for ID at the entrance. Not to mention the fact that regular guests, like VILED buyers, are known by sight

During Fashion Weeks, we interact with each partner brand at least twice. First, employees receive invitations to the show itself, where they can see the entire collection of the next season. And within one or two days after the show, re-sees take place. These are presentations for buyers, where all the samples (samples from the catwalk) are already hanging on hangers and mannequins. Clothes, shoes and accessories can be touched, tried on, and assessed for quality and potential. A real “through the looking glass” of the industry and a high-flying business.

Each buyer is guided by the tastes of buyers in his country and makes pre-orders only for certain categories. In other words, the Dolce&Gabbana assortment that you see in a store in Almaty or Astana may be very different from Geneva or Beijing. Moreover, if some items have received a small number of orders and responses from buyers, then they are not released. More than 50% of the collection from the catwalk does not go into production or sale.

In recent years, local fashion weeks in Copenhagen, Tokyo and Seoul have attracted the attention of the industry. Largely thanks to his cool street style. But among the participants there are very few brands that have achieved global recognition, and purchases of items are tiny. Therefore, it is too early to compare them with the Big Four. Moreover, once an Asian/Scandinavian designer becomes popular, he usually moves to one of the four fashion capitals. This is understandable: the number of influential guests and buyers (!) here is incomparably higher. This means there are more chances to build a business, find partners and make purchases. VILED has its finger on the pulse of fashion and collaborates with many up-and-coming brands from different regions. Visionary and ability to predict trends and brands is one of VILED’s main professional qualities.