| Fashion Weeks are events held by designers or | | | | public, as well as some of the events that display |
| fashion houses to display their latest designs and | | | | the designer's latest handbags, jewellery, shoes, |
| creations to the world's media and fashion buyers. | | | | hats and cosmetics. Many important fashion |
| Catwalk shows are the mainstays of these | | | | design schools now feature in contemporary |
| weeks which are held around the world and which | | | | Fashion Weeks as well. |
| attract mass attention globally. The primary | | | | Fashion Weeks have been around since 1943, |
| fashion weeks are held in the style capitals, | | | | when the first one was held in New York to |
| London, Milan, Paris and New York, but there are | | | | divert attention away from French fashions during |
| many others that take place in lesser known | | | | the Second Worl War, when fashion industry |
| areas of the fashion world, and are designed to | | | | insiders were unable to travel to Paris to see |
| draw people's attention to less prominent | | | | French fashion shows. Fashion publicist Eleanor |
| designers. These include Australian Fashion Week, | | | | Lamber staged a "Press Week" for fashion |
| Japan Fashion Week, South Africa Fashion Week, | | | | journalists to present the creations of American |
| and Los Angeles Fashion week. In the main | | | | designers, who were not usually paid any |
| fashion cities, fashion weeks are held twice a | | | | attention by the fashion media. The buyers were |
| year, displaying 'autumn' trends and their 'spring' | | | | not invited to these shows but instead had to visit |
| collections. These are held a long time in advance | | | | the designers' showrooms. Press Week was an |
| of the actual season to allow adequate coverage | | | | unprecedented success, and fashion magazines |
| and previews of the designs before the actual | | | | like Vogue, which were normally filled with French |
| season. This is also done to give buyers a chace | | | | designs, beagn increasingly to focus on American |
| to purchase the designers' creations, and so retail | | | | fashion. |
| stores can use elements of the designers' styles | | | | Some beauty products sponsor fashion weeks, |
| in their mass produced clothes for the High Street | | | | such as the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival and |
| market. | | | | the L'Oreal Fashion Week held in Toronto, due to |
| Fashion Weeks are attended by buyers for major | | | | the inherent relationship between fashion and |
| stores, the media, celebrities, and members of | | | | beauty. Other fashion weeks are held for one |
| the entertainment industry. In years gone by, | | | | precise type of fashion, such as swimwear, |
| fashion weeks were predominantly used as | | | | lingerie, or bridal couture. Fashion weeks are |
| commerical events, and only people in the | | | | viewed as the designer's way of making their |
| industry attended them. Today, however they | | | | collections visible and broadcast throughout the |
| are lavish, exclusive events, attended by many | | | | world in a very short space of time. This shortens |
| celebrities and cause a media frenzy. The week is | | | | the time in which it will take for people to start |
| a 7-day extravaganza which often includes live | | | | recognising, buying and following the designer's |
| music, lavish galas and charity events. Some | | | | trends, which in the end is the designer's ultimate |
| shows are also open to selected members of the | | | | aim. |