Paris, Milan, London and New York – for the longest time, these four cities have reigned supreme as the fashion capitals of the world. However, there seems to be other contenders waiting to join the elite club.
Copenhagen, having turned heads for several years with a thriving style scene focusing on sustainability, is flexing its “green” credentials within the industry. It hopes to become the next fashion capital.
Well, with the success of Copenhagen Fashion Week early this month, the Danish city is currently on everyone’s lips.
But, what makes a fashion capital? Who gets to decide?
There is no official list on what city is in or out, and no announcements.
Like trends, as more people pay attention or talk about them, they organically become accepted as such. Perhaps, think of fashion capitals as more of a zeitgeist.
Bon Zainal, founder of the Malaysian Bumiputera Designers Association, says such cities are known for their market influence.
He adds that they must be able to draw in huge brands or offer a large pool of consumers.
“Some of them are regional centres of fashion – like for North America or Europe, in the case of New York and London respectively, while others have a set identity: Paris as the birthplace of couture, or how Milan is known for luxury fashion,” Bon explains.
As it is, the current fashion capitals have held on to the label for a very long time.
New York gained prominence in the fashion world during the 1940s and 50s. As for London, it was considered a major city in European fashion way back in the 16th century.
Milan captured attention in the 70s, both with its fashion week – and as a manufacturing hub supplying brands.
As for Paris, it was already a fashion superpower back in the 18th century. Most of the couture houses were (and still is) based there.
Read more: Set on sustainability, can Copenhagen become the world's next fashion capital?
Unwavering influence
All of the current four fashion capitals are still going strong.
“No matter what, everyone in the fashion industry looks foward to attending the runway shows in those cities, especially during the respective fashion weeks,” comments Melinda Looi.
“All the big designers and brands will still be present there, after all.”
Looi, former president of the Malaysian Official Designers’ Association, has participated in all the trade fairs that ran alongside fashion weeks in Paris, Milan, London and New York.
“Amazing scene and people,” she recalls.
Each of the “big four” has a separate fashion identity.
Think of London, for instance, and electic fashion comes to mind. The city’s fashion week, plus designers based there, offer a very different point of view in terms of aesthetic.
The late Vivienne Westwood for example, is said to have helped define the punk and new romanticism scenes.
John Galliano (despite later heading French fashion houses) constantly worked to experiment with unconventional materials and techniques. He incorporated materials like PVC and neoprene into his high-fashion designs.
Paris, being the home of labels like Chanel, Dior, Givenchy and more, takes the top spot when it comes to casually classic and elegant clothes.
The fact that the term “Parisienne chic” exist, says a lot about its enduring influence.
As for New York, it rose to prominence after World War II.
It challenged the dominance of Paris with a different approach to fashion, that is with the popularisation of American sportswear.
Not to be confused with clothes worn to play sports, American sportswear is actually separates that can be easily mixed and matched. Think of more everyday casual wear like blouses and shirts worn with skirts or shorts instead – but inherently stylish, of course.
Milan’s emergence has a different story. It was because of the city’s thriving industries like fabric production and leather ateliers that drew luxury labels to set up base there.
“Paris and London were the first cities I visited as a designer, where I also attended a few of the shows there,” Looi says.
“I was amazed by the energy I felt at that time. People were all dressed up and queuing in the cold to catch the runway presentations – just to be immersed in fashion. That is how a fashion capital feels like.”
Read more: Craft and imagination: Looking back at the unstoppable march of couture in Paris
New additions?
A lot of cities are hoping to gain some sort of recognition as a fashion capital. Competition is stiff though.
In the case of Copenhagen, rival Scandinavian cities like Oslo and Stockholm are also vying for the acknowledgement – all three of them focusing on sustainable fashion as an “identity”.
In Asia, Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing and more have courted fashion brands with this hope. There are also other cities, such as Dubai in the Middle East, that have attracted the attention of global fashion houses.
Closer to home, Bangkok and Jakarta have a thriving fashion scene too.
Bon notes that any city can be a fashion capital, but it needs to be able to capture attention with grand fashion showcases.
He is organising the Tower Fashion Eleganza Kuala Lumpur 2023 next month, which will see models walk a runway 300m above ground level at the top of Kuala Lumpur Tower.
For sure, Kuala Lumpur has no shortage of fashion showcases.
Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week just concluded last week. Another highlight is the annual Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.
There is also the My Gaya Month fashion event (last held in November), which promotes Malaysian-made products through fashion.
So, what are the prospects for Malaysia?
“Does Kuala Lumpur have the potential to be a fashion capital? I’ll be honest and say that we are not there yet, but we are getting there,” Bon shares.
“Kuala Lumpur has been doing well in terms of generating buzz about local fashion, but we need to have more international designers or brands to hold their shows here during our fashion weeks, as well.”
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