Back with a vengeance, this season’s fast approaching shows are hopping off our computer screens and back onto the catwalk. Things are all but back to normal, though. Covid continues to poke its sticky fingers into our industry, leading big hitters like Tom Ford to once again announce the cancellation of its physical catwalk. But, for many brands, fashion week is back in full swing. With debut catwalks, cult favourites, new creative directors and tribute shows on our radar, here’s what to look out for.
New York
New York Fashion Week will set fashion month in motion from Friday, February 11 to Wednesday, February 16. Over 60 in-person catwalks and presentations are due to take place. Expect physical shows from Christian Cowen, Proenza Schouler, Brandon Maxwell, Anna Sui, Collina Strada, LaQuan Smith and Gabriela Hearst. Eckhaus Latta will also be showing its anniversary collection, in celebration of going ten years strong. Michael Kors, Coach and Tory Burch will also be hosting IRL shows, while notable names like Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Rodarte and Pyer Moss still missing from the schedule.
After a stellar debut last season, Peter Do will be back for his second catwalk show, while Puppets and Puppets takes to the catwalk for the third time.
New to New York, PatBo, Saint Sintra, No Sesso, Duncan and many more are set to make their debuts, just as cult favourite, and the home of the Bushwick Burkin, Telfar, returns to the catwalk after a two-year hiatus (last year the brand hosted a press conference to launch its duffle bag, so who know what it’s got planned this time around). Check out the full NYFW schedule here.
London
Like New York, The BFC has adopted a hybrid schedule for its February shows, from Friday, February 18 through to Tuesday, February 22, with Av Vattev, Kaushik Velendra and all its DiscoveryLAB picks keeping it digital for yet another year. Kicking off the physical events, Nicholas Daley is set to open London Fashion Week Thursday evening. Soon to follow, Saul Nash will be back for his second solo show, and LVMH Prize winner Nensi Dojaka will have us all gagging for sexy mesh and subversive cutouts with her second standalone show.
We can also expect a slew of emerging designers set to premier. Most notably, Conner Ives, who will be making his eagerly awaited catwalk debut. There’s also Irish designer Robyn Lynch, who will be staging her first solo catwalk show.
On the schedule once again, Labrum London will host its second show, while Molly Goddard, Matty Bovan, Halpern and Preen by Thornton Bregazzi finally return to presenting in-person. We’re also eager to see Richard Quinn, Stefan Cooke, Simone Rocha, Supriya Lele, Erdem, Feben and Rejina Pyo, too.
Ahluwalia, the change-maker known for her responsibly sourced deadstock creations, is going to have her first catwalk show this season, following a year of unequivocal successes in the British Fashion sphere. In 2021, Ahluwalia was the well deserved recipient of the Queen Elizabeth ll Award for Fashion Design, the BFC/GQ Menswear Fund and at the Fashion Awards, she was honoured with the Environmental Leader of Change Award at the Fashion Awards.
Meanwhile, S.S. Daley will stage his second show and Daniel W. Fletcher will host a physical catwalk that’s set to be a co-ed extravaganza. 16Arlington will also pay tribute to its 28-year old founder and designer, the late Federica Cavenati, who passed away in November of last year.
What’s more, the Central Saint Martins MA show will go ahead for the first time since this pesky pandemic hit, and London College of Fashion has also joined the official LFW schedule for the first time, too.
Elsewhere, Fashion East has announced its lineup for this season, and will feature Maximilian, Chet Lo and Jawara Alleyne as its dynamic trio. Don’t miss the full LFW schedule here.
Milan
From February 22 to 28, Milan Fashion Week will be back in full swing. Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana has announced that Gucci will return to Milan after showing off schedule since the start of the global pandemic, while Giorgio Armani makes a catwalk comeback after cancelling both its menswear and couture last month. Moschino is also back in Milan after its collections have premiered either digitally or overseas in New York since AW20. Meanwhile, Ambush is heading to Milan for the first time, and the first Trussardi collection designed by the duo behind GmbH, Serhat Isik and Benjamin Alexander Huseby, will also go ahead.
The show on everybody’s lips is Bottega Veneta which is scheduled to show its first collection designed by Matthieu Blazy after Daniel Lee made a shock departure as creative director back in November.
Filling the week is some of fashion’s biggest players, so expect some absolute stunners from the likes of Fendi, Blumarine, Max Mara, Prada, MSGM, Dsquared2. Download the full MFW schedule here.
Paris
From February 28 to March 8, Paris will be afizz with a wealth of shows. Having just announced its provisional schedule, La Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode has us prepared for a marquee of big hitters.
Opening the week with a commemorative catwalk, Off-White is returning to Paris to honour its late founder and visionary, Virgil Abloh.
Elsewhere, Vaquera is coming to Paris after decamping NYFW for the first time, joined by fellow New Yorkers, the Olsen twins, who will also be bringing The Row to the city of love.
As per typical Paris, we can expect to see the biggest names in fashion, with Chanel, Dior, Miu Miu, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent, Valentino, Balmain and Loewe all set to show. Will Balenciaga bless our screens with another special episode of The Simpsons? Or will Demna beam us straight into the Metaverse? Only time will tell. Have a look at the full PFW schedule here.
Top image: Chanel couture SS22 by Christina Fragkou. Follow all the action from the AW22 via our Instagram stories at @10magazine and @10menmagazine.