New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning seven to nine days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general public. It is one of four major fashion weeks in the world, collectively known as the "Big Four", along with those in Paris, London, and Milan. The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) created the modern notion of a centralized "New York Fashion Week" in 1993, although cities like London were already using their city's name in conjunction with the words fashion week in the 1980s. NYFW is based on a much older series of events called "Press Week", founded in 1943. On a global scale, most business and sales-oriented shows and some couture shows take place in New York City.
Model Liu Wen walks the runway modeling fashions by designer Diane von Fürstenberg at New York Fashion Week 2013.
Opening Day for a fashion show in New York, seen in Harper's Bazaar in 1868.
Haute couture fashion models walk the runway during New York Fashion Week.
Image: Sienna Li
Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and place. "A fashion designer creates clothing, including dresses, suits, pants, and skirts, and accessories like shoes and handbags, for consumers. He or she can specialize in clothing, accessory, or jewelry design, or may work in more than one of these areas."
Fashion designers in 1974 in Dresden.
Fashion designers typically use a runway of models to showcase their work.
The Chéruit salon on Place Vendôme in Paris, 1910
Men pulling carts of women's clothing in Garment District, New York, 1955