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Fashion industry event
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A fashion week is a week long fashion industry event where fashion designers, brands, or "houses" display their latest collections in runway fashion shows to buyers and the media which influences upcoming fashion trends for the current and approaching seasons. The most prominent fashion weeks are held in the fashion capitals of the world—in chronological order, New York City, London, Milan, and Paris, or the "Big Four." The foundations of fashion week began in Paris in the late 1800s before spreading to New York, Milan, and London in the 20th century. What began as marketing garments in public spaces like racetracks grew into highly publicized events in themselves. In the 2000s, themes of sustainability began emerging at fashion weeks and grew popular across the next decade. Fashion weeks in recent years have reflected a faster "retail cycle" with "see now, buy now" and "in season" fashion shows. Event organizers have proposed combining the collections for one season or men and women's wear shows to reduce the carbon emissions associated with these events.

One of history's first signs of a fashion week, or seasonal collection, can be traced back to fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth during the late 1800s. The concept of the fashion week began in Paris, when marketers used to hire women to wear couture items in public places, from racetracks to beauty salons. In 1903, a Manhattan shop called Ehrich Brothers put on what is thought to have been the country's first fashion show to lure middle class women into the store. Until 1994, shows were held in different locations, such as hotels, or lofts. From 1994 to 2009, the event was held in a tent at Bryant Park, behind the New York Public Library. Lincoln Center was the Fashion Week venue from 2010 to 2015, after which it moved to Clarkson Square, an events venue in SoHo in Manhattan.

Before mainstream fashion events like fashion week began incorporating sustainable fashion, brands like Patagonia practiced sustainability by designing garments out of recycled materials. The Copenhagen Fashion Summit was then established in 2009 to discuss social and environmental issues facing the fashion industry. Designers were called on to cut their total number of collections per year in exchange for more durable garments which extended lifespan and minimized waste. In 2014, the Connect4Climate trust fund (owned by the World Bank Group)financed the “Sustainability Dialogues in the Design Industry” initiative at Milan Fashion Week to create opportunities for pioneering young designers. At London Fashion Week in 2017, Vivienne Westwood and the Mayor of London created the "Fashion Switch" initiative to support UK brands transitioning to renewable energy. In May, designer Richard Marlone won the 2020 International Woolmark Prize for his radical ideas in sustainable development. Lakme Fashion Week also launched the Circular Design Challenge, the first sustainable fashion award in India. Organizers of Copenhagen Fashion Week 2023 set 18 minimum standards for the brands participating, an unprecedented decision. For example, seat cards and set pieces had to be recyclable, fur on garments was banned, and designs had to be 50% recycled material. Implementation of these rules was left up to the interpretation of designers, resulting in some variation due to the phrasing. Fashion week executives framed the standards as a transitional step to fully sustainable collections.

Although there are many notable fashion weeks around the world, only four are known as the "Big Four": in chronological order, New York, London, Milan, and Paris. Milan Fashion Week was founded by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in 1958, Paris Fashion Week was further organized in 1973 under the French Fashion Federation, and London Fashion Week was founded by the British Fashion Council in 1984. Although these key organizations still organize the main shows, there are independent events and producers in all cities, as well.

The "Big Four" refers to fashion weeks which happens twice a year in the major fashion capitals of the world; New York (February 7–15), London (February 15–19), Milan (February 19–25), and Paris (February 25 March 5). Traditionally, fashion weeks were held several months in advance of the season to allow the press and buyers a chance to preview fashion designs for the following season. In February and March, designers showcased their autumn and winter collections. In September and October, designers showcased their spring and summer collections. This timing was largely created to follow the then slower "retail cycle." In other words, it allowed time for retailers to purchase and incorporate the designers into their retail marketing. However, as customer expectations have increased, the retail cycle has increased. As a result, in 2016, designers started moving to "in season shows." The other move has been to "see now, buy now" shows, often featuring clickable video, where looks are available online immediately following, or even during the show. However, the French Federation of Fashion has not accepted the call to incorporate it as of 2017. The advent of "see now, buy now" shopping has also come about in response to so called "fast fashion" retailers, who copy designs from the runway and bring them to retail faster than traditional design houses.

Since fashion weeks were established, approximately 241,000 tons of CO2 have been released each year from attending the "Big Four" and major trade shows. Buyers and sellers generate emissions and waste from air travel, accommodations, ground transportation, and fashion shows. 37% of total CO2 emissions are attributed to New York Fashion Week. The carbon footprint of the average global citizen is a fraction of the average professional buyer's from traveling approximately 19,213 km every year. On flights in business class, they generate up to 30% more CO2 emissions per person if the ratio of business seats to economy seats in each plane is taken into consideration. It is unrealistic for event organizers to ask guests to fly in economy class, take trains, or share accommodation, but paper invitations and plastic water bottles at events have become obsolete. Organizers for fashion week and other major events have also proposed combining all the collections for one season, displaying men and women’s wear at the same event, and establishing fashion “districts” in fashion capitals like New York to minimize traffic congestion during fashion week. Practicing sustainability at fashion week encourages sustainable development in the fashion industry because it reflects and influences major trends and market demand.