Photo courtesy by Dior

For fashionistas and style aficionados, fashion weeks stir much excitement. Because in these week-long festivals, fashion designers, fashion brands and fashion houses around the world display their latest collections through a string of fashion parades which attract throngs of buyers, the media and fashion freaks.

Some big fashion weeks can even dictate what the world will be wearing next season and convey major influences on international fashion trends.

So, what are some of the most famous fashion events around the globe? We know that there are many, but the most prominent fashion weeks are held in the fashion capitals of the world, from Paris to New York.

Entering the 21st century, the fashion scene has turned even more global, with other centres like Berlin, Los Angeles, Madrid, Sao Paulo, and Hong Kong jumping on the bandwagon.

Here we list the five best fashion weeks in the world that should be on every fashionista’s bucket list.

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Paris Fashion Week

Photo Courtesy by Chloe

Organised by the Fédération Française de la Couture du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode, Paris Fashion Week is the world’s most influential fashion happening in terms of trends and tendencies. Held twice annually, the festival presents women’s ready-to-wear and haute couture collections, once for the fall/winter collections and again for the spring/summer collections for the following calendar year.

The 2017 calendar for the fashion fete with runway shows to be staged at various locations across the city are as follows: Haute Couture Spring/Summer Collection, January 22 to January 26; Ready to Wear Fall/Winter Collection, February 28 to March 8;Haute Couture Fall/Winter Collection, July 2 to July 6; and Ready to Wear Spring/Summer Collection, September 26 to October 4.

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Milan Fashion Week

Organised by a non-profit association Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (The National Chamber for Italian Fashion), which coordinates and promotes the development of Italian fashion, Milan Fashion Week has more than 40 shows each season.

This fashion happening transforms the city into a tourist hub by creating various venues for the shows and selecting the most elegant and influential palaces to become the stage for the best fashion creations.

Unlike Paris, with four sets of runway shows annually, Milan compiles the collections at two shows. The 2017 schedule is as follows: the Milan Fashion Week Fall/Winter Collection runs from February 22 to28; andthe Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer Collection runs from September 20 to 26.  

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London Fashion Week 

Photo Courtesy by Jasper Conran 

Inaugurated in 1984 and organised by the British Fashion Council (BFC) for the London Development Agency, London Fashion Week attracts significant press attention and benefit to taxpayers. Attended by more than 5,000 press and buyers, the fashion happenings reached an estimated UKP100 million worth of orders each year.

The current venue for most of the "on schedule" events is Somerset House in central London, where a large marquee in the central courtyard hosts a series of catwalk shows by top designers and fashion houses.

"Off-schedule" events, such as Vauxhall Fashion Scout and On|Off at other venues in central London, add to the festival. The London Fashion Week Fall/Winter Collection 2017 runs from February 17 to21; andthe London Fashion Week Spring/Summer Collection runs from September 15 to 19.

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New York Fashion Week

Photo Courtesy by DKNY

The Council of Fashion Designers of America created the modern notion of a unified “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. The New York fashion jamboree is based on a much older series of events called “Press Week”, founded in 1942.

As one of the major fashion weeks of the world, this event is attended by some of the biggest fashion names in the industry. Held in February and September of each year, the 2017 New York Fashion Week featuring women’s wear for the fall/winter collections will take place from February 9 to 16, while the Spring/Summer Collection will take place from September 7 to 14.

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Tokyo Fashion Week

Photo Courtesy by Zin Kato

Hosted by the Japan Fashion Week Organization (JFW Organization) and held twice a year in March and October, Tokyo Fashion Week showcased Japan's latest fashion creations at Shibuya Hikarie and Omotesando Hills as well as other locations in Tokyo.

The semi-annual fashion festival is a gateway to success for excellent talents like KeitaMuruyama, the Harajuku born fashion designer who can attract Gwen Stefani as his muse at the Fashion Week Tokyo Fall/Winter 2016-2017 collection. To date there is no confirmed schedule for the fashion parades in 2017, both for the spring/summer as well as the fall/winter collections.

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Photo courtesy by Balmain

The world capitals of fashion are known for its distinct styles as well as different audiences. New York is swarming with sportswear and journalists, while London shines with slightly futuristic, avant-garde designs that attract younger style-makers.

Milan is there for those who value craftsmanship and over-the-top styles, and Paris is the centre of the haute couture world, where buyers and industry insiders make some of the biggest deals of the year.

Tokyo, however, has a charm all of its own. The semi-annual festival in Tokyo tends to focus on seamlessly integrating opposite concepts: urban street-wear with expensive labels, or iconic Japanese fashion with modern Western trends.

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