Local Fashion Weeks Are on the Rise. Why Now?

It's a turbulent time in fashion. Independent brands are shuttering in quick succession, and many luxury players are also struggling with slowdowns in spending. (See: Kering's recent report of its profits halving, and LVMH is facing some downturn, too.) Despite this, there are also an increasing number of fashion weeks launching in cities outside of the main circuit (New York, London, Milan and Paris).

Riding the tails of Miami Swim Week's success (and multimillion dollar economic impact), an inaugural Ibiza Swim Week kicked off in July; Las Vegas is also gearing up for its own bikini-laden catwalks in mid-August. Chicago Fashion Week hits the streets this October. Ultimately, these newcomers are part of a long tradition (New York's first fashion week happened in 1943) of the industry gathering to witness newness, buy and strategize for seasons ahead. Over time, more and more fashion weeks have sprung up around the world to address increased interest and spotlight local talent, from Copenhagen to Berlin to Tokyo. In the United States, cities across the country host their own as well, and this latest string of debuts marks an impressive boost in energy and investment in regional industry events.

Fashion industry veteran Erik Rosete – who founded Art Hearts Fashion, the company producing Swim Week Las Vegas, in 2010 – says it's "been years in the making" and bolstered by "the pandemic that made everyone so cooped up."

This "made us realize that people were really itching for more experiences and to be out in the world and to create social experiences that involve fashion, art and culture," he tells Fashionista. Swim Week Las Vegas is about "bringing something new and innovative to the city, and Las Vegas is a city that loves glitz and glam. A lot of our designers have already designed for celebrities performing on the Las Vegas strip, like Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani and Lady Gaga."

The event will span four days in the Neon Capital, in partnership with Resorts World Las Vegas, and will feature major labels like Nike Swim, Desigual and Steve Madden, alongside indie brands such as Kentaro Kameyama, Giannina Azar, Bfyne and more. The biggest challenge is "convincing people to go to Vegas," Rosete notes. Swim Week Las Vegas is industry-focused, meaning the majority of people joining are designers, press, buyers and other sponsored guests. Ticket sales — which are currently only available for models and media — aren't as much of a metric of success as seats filled.

For Chicago Fashion Week, which debuts in October, the opposite is true. As a consumer-facing event, there's more of a focus on selling tickets to locals versus filling chairs with the mastheads of top magazines.

Ian Gerard – co-founder of The Curio, which is producing some Chicago Fashion Week events – wants the event to energize the local community and shine a spotlight on Windy City talent. Gerard moved to Chicago mid-pandemic and says he quickly grew aware "of the lack" in its fashion scene. "The city stopped funding fashion completely" after the 2008 Great Recession, he says, and by 2016, the city pulled out of Fashion Focus Chicago, its previous version of fashion week. "Then, add the pandemic on top of everything… When I moved in 2021, people were decentralized, demoralized and disconnected from one another. They had already not been in a great place going into the pandemic."

Bringing this event to Chicago also comes at a pivotal point for the city, which has developed an unfortunate reputation for theft since the pandemic. This has contributed to retail tension on its famed "Magnificent Mile."

"Chicago has horrible stories coming out of it. The things you hear outside of Chicago, including in the suburbs, are about smash-and-grabs. All the retailers want to change that story. It's killing them, especially because, during the pandemic, a lot of the wealthy consumers that supported these retailers moved to the North Shore or to other suburbs. Now, when they watch the local news, they're so scared they won't come back to shop," Gerard says. "Everybody wants something that will provide an accessible means, something that's welcoming."

Thus, Chicago Fashion Week is also a step toward revitalization. Gerard adds that he wants to see it "uniting the Chicago fashion community, showcasing its best talent and raising the profile of Chicago fashion, especially among Chicagoans because so many don't realize there are actual designers in the city because they don't mass produce."

Unlike the major fashion weeks that last about four to seven days, Chicago Fashion Week is set to span 12 days. It'll kick off with a Curio-organized opening-night runway show before splitting into 50 events, scattered across various hosts and formats including catwalks, bazaars and panels. By joining, attendees are also helping to "build a bigger database" that designers and organizations can pull from for events held throughout the rest of the year.

Sheila Rashid, one of seven designers to show on opening night, recalls giving an "immediate yes" when presented with the opportunity. "I did a fashion show with [The Curio] before, and it was packed. So, I know their following and that their base is really strong," she says. Plus, unlike some fashion events that charge labels exorbitant prices to show on their calendar, Rashid adds, "I didn't have to pay anything. They basically just want me to show up with my looks. They supply the models, hair, makeup, the runway, everything. I think that's really dope."

This is a big deal because hosting a runway show notoriously comes with a hefty price tag — especially if it's during one of the big four fashion weeks — and this can be prohibitive for independent designers. For example, Peter Do, who has shown in New York via Helmut Lang and in Paris, told GQ it can cost $300,000 at minimum to put on a show. Smaller, more local fashion weeks can be more appealing to emerging labels because they can be less cost prohibitive. For anyone putting their designs on the catwalk during Chicago Fashion Week's opening night runway, there's no cost.

"What's most important about it is that it brings a spotlight to some of the younger Chicago designers," says Maria Pinto, a Chicago-based designer who has dressed Michelle Obama and is also showing on opening night. "The more you show, the better you get at it. The more you have feedback from people, the more you learn about your brand."

To Gerard, "a successful Chicago fashion week will lead [the mayor and city offices] to start thinking about and taking other groups' proposals and infrastructure changes more seriously." The forthcoming debut is all about proving the concept, again, and wooing key players — be it city funding, retail sponsors or school partnerships — to fortify its future.

What exactly helps hit that mark? Ciarra Pardo, the N4xt Experiences co-founder and Los Angeles Fashion Week president who relaunched the annual event in fall 2022, says success in launching a fashion week in a new city is all about finding the right partnerships and finding a unique angle. Nothing is going to be New York or Paris, the former Fenty Corporation CEO tells Fashionista.

"No city is created equally. In order to have a successful fashion week, you have to curate the experience to speak to the city's needs and what we're celebrating within that city," Pardo says. "When N4XT Experiences acquired L.A. Fashion Week, it was already 18 years old. We curated our experience with the city in mind and didn't try to emulate other fashion weeks."

Similarly to Rosete and Gerard's experiences, securing sponsorships is a major component to assembling a successful event. But it's harder to find consistent funding when economic conditions are shaky. "Economic fluctuations can impact sponsorships, attendance and overall investments into our event," Pardo says. "I pray we never see a pandemic again, but paying attention to what's happening in the world is very crucial. Maintaining our engagements, making sure that we are maintaining our conversation with not only our city and culture that we're trying to build within are important aspects for longevity."

Despite the challenges, "I believe a lot of our success came from a community desire to be back around people post-pandemic," she adds.

Be it Las Vegas or Chicago this year, or Los Angeles two years ago, launching a fashion week offers cities a unique opportunity to engage its fashion community and foster both local business and student talent. Putting it on successfully, however, is no easy feat. Ultimately, Pardo explains, "launching a fashion week is a multifaceted endeavor that demands creativity, meticulous planning, and for the most part, as hard as we can work to create the most seamless execution possible."

Correction: This article was updated to clarify The Curio’s role in Chicago Fashion Week.

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