When did the first ever fashion show take place, and how did it start?
We see catwalk shows all the time now, and take them for granted, but we never stop to think about the first ever fashion show and how it came about. The first shows were not just the essential link to the multibillion-pound fashion industry, but they were also vital for the development of the department store as we know it today and, subsequently, the huge increase in consumer figures.
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Setting up at Bryant Park
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Bottega Veneta Spring Summer 2010 Show
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Chloe Spring Summer 2010 Show
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Eleanor Lambert founder of NY fashion week
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Roberto Cavalli Spring Summer 2010 Show
Although the precise origins of the earliest fashion shows remain unclear, we do know that in the 1800s, "fashion parades" occasionally took place in the Paris Couture salons. It was the Americans, however, that really ignited the fashion show trend, following the German occupation of France in 1940. One of the many consequences of this was that buyers, editors, and designers were unable to travel to Paris to see the few remaining fashion shows. Before World War II, American designers were thought to be dependent on French couture for inspiration as all the trends in the United states came from Europe, particularly from France, so when the occupation occurred the fashion world were doubtful that America could succeed without the influence of the French.
America had already hosted shows, however, starting in1903, long before the war, when a New York City speciality store called Ehrich Brothers organised the country’s first one, to lure more customers into the store. By 1910, many big department stores, including Wanamaker's in Philadelphia and New York, were following suit but these events really got started in 1943, when a well-known fashion publicist named Eleanor Lambert arranged something called "Press Week." Lambert was a smart PR who recognised that it was a promising moment for American fashion, and her plan worked!
Magazines like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, whose editors were obsessed with French fashion, began to feature more work by American designers and, more importantly, recognised them by name. American designs became the new, exciting, modern trends and they earned their place in the industry, prompting other designers who, recognising this as the way to achieve success, immediately jumped on the band wagon and began to hold their own fashion shows in private functions.
In the early 1990s the fashion world began to rethink these small shows after several mishaps. Some locations were actually hazardous, the most famous being a Michael Kors show, when part of the ceiling began falling on the models and clients. The - somewhat humorous - statement at the time was 'We love fashion but we don't want to die for it' so, in the Spring of 1994, collections were sent down the runway at Bryant Park, and Fashion Week, as we know it today, was born and went global.
Fashion shows gave many people internationally the opportunity to see the best garments and the most talented designers all at the same time under one roof. Years on, fashion events are still the place to be, drawing crowds from all over the world. Having the chance to show at fashion week in all of the major fashion cities can be a huge breakthrough for a young designer and really kick start his or her career.
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