warmer in summer and colder in the winter. As a

practical issue you need warmer clothing in the

winter and cooler clothing in the summer. However,

take India for example- a rising contender in the

global economy with a growing market in the fashion

industry: the fashion season just does not work. In

Delhi it works as there is a distinct colder season but

it remains consistently hot south of Gujarat. Even

Los Angeles, it remains hot throughout the year, and

this is a state in one of the most developed countries

in the world, and yet it still follows the fashion

season norms. Let’s not mention that seasons are the

other way round in the Southern Hemisphere and

again, the fashion season still appears to apply.

However, the truth is, you don’t need any more

clothes. The fashion industry is market driven.

Realistically you need clothes to survive for practical

reasons. For instance, who really needs more than

one pair of shoes? Why have ten dresses when two

would actually probably do? The fashion industry

with its fashion seasons is a business that is driven

by making you believe you need new items of

clothing. This is the power that marketers need to

grasp very quickly in order to be successful.

However, saying this, can you imagine a world where

everyone has the same clothing and footwear all the

time? Or is this a blinkered view, considering we

were all born into the world with a thriving fashion

industry already in place? The business of fashion is

very much a capitalist idea. It requires change in

order to make consumers stay interested and part

with their money.

Without seasons, the fashion world would be either

be considerably stagnant or the other way round and

be completely chaotic with very little order. There

would be ideas flying absolutely everywhere from

different designers. Is that to say that the fashion

season as we know it is somewhat limiting for

designers? Without the season would we see much

more from designers creatively?

If we were to have a world with no fashion season

would we see fast fashion go into overload? New

collections appearing here, there and everywhere,

with clever marketing and promotional strategies

telling you, not even suggesting, that you need this

new item; your clothes bought a few weeks ago are

now out of fashion. It is quite possible that the world

would not cope- especially in those newly developed

and developing countries such as India.

Consumerism, a child of capitalism, is a question for

debate when there is such extremes of wealth in the

world. We would see poor people who previously had

world. We would see poor people who previously had

nothing, but are rising in terms of wealth due to their

country’s economy growing wanting more and more,

essentially ending up in a worse situation,

financially, than when they had nothing.

On reflection of this, the fashion season essentially

gives order to a very big industry with consumerism

at its very heart. The season gives fashion some

order, practically and morally. Designers are free to

design and be as creative as they need to be to fulfil

their creativity. The fashion season gives a collective

vision of the new ideas and trends; clothing remains

practical for summer and winter but with an added

twist. The season also make fashion much more

accessible and moves away from being totally elitist-

something the fashion industry tries hard not to be

portrayed as. With the rise of bloggers and social

media it truly has become for the masses- a topic for

debate another time.

It is indeed a strange concept that twice a year

designers showcase new designs to the public. It can

be seen that they are punished creatively by having

to meet the deadlines, twice a year and six months in

advance of when the trends will be for sale in shops.

This is necessary in order to be considered as a

serious contender in the fashion world, and make the

brands viable as commercial businesses. However, it

is necessary to maintain order in an industry which

essentially sells you items you do not need. It also

allows the best of the best to stand out and be

recognised for their innovation and commitment to

their craft. Essentially, in our capitalist society, we

are all fashionistas at heart, even if you do not want

to admit it. We all want to look socially presentable,

something which is established with an aspiration of

looking up to trends on the catwalk. And to some it is

of interest to be up to date with what and who is new

in the fashion world. And yes, that means (oh what a

shame) owning more than one pair of shoes!

high street: the catwalk, high end, designer fashion

season marked by two major events the

autumn/winter catwalk and the spring/summer

catwalk. This occurs, without fail, year in and year

out, in several destinations around the world. But

why?

Like any average person browsing the high street the

initial reaction to the distinct changes in clothing

available is the change in temperature- it is relatively

warmer in summer and colder in the winter. As a

Have you ever wondered why there are seasons in

fashion? Probably not. What is the relevance of

having them? To the average member of the public

there is the realisation that clothing changes in

stores from winter to summer collections but I doubt

very much that they think any more of it other than

it’s getting warmer or colder outside so we need

different clothing to suit these conditions. But the

fashion season in question, is what influences the

designs six months before they even appear on the

high street: the catwalk, high end, designer fashion

“The truth is, you don’t

need any more clothes.”