After September 2020, fashion month was canceled, many designers turned to virtual shows. Like many of the online substitutes we turned to during the pandemic, these digital shows could not create the same sentiment that usually surrounds fashion week in the four major cities. Many in the fashion industry suffered during the pandemic, especially the creatives, freelancers, and models who could not work from home or rely on a steady income. The return of fashion month means the return of stability for the thousands of people who dedicate themselves to the shows. The September fashion month will display the upcoming Spring 2022 collections in a much different setting than last year. The four major fashion cities have begun to lift restrictions, and although this may change with the development of multiple variants of the virus, the industry seems eager to get some degree of regularity back.

As of August, New York is sticking by its decision to plan a full return to in-person shows and events after two seasons of mostly online shows and collections. Mask mandates and moderate social distancing rules are still expected to be followed. Everyone, from attendees to designers, will be required to show proof of vaccination. The shows will take place from Sept. 8-12, and they will be putting an emphasis on American fashion as a display of appreciation and celebration for what the country has endured this past year. The Met Gala will also return this year after being canceled in 2020, and it will take place on Sept. 13 instead of the traditional first Monday in May date. The theme will be “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”, which stirred quite a bit of confusion online as many could not understand what exactly was intended by this. The Met Gala is also expected to make the controversial decision to invite several social media influencers. On July 26, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) released the official NYFW schedule for Spring 2022, which has a total of 91 shows and presentations along with a list of designers that are yet to be confirmed. Designer Ulla Johnson will be the first of the fashion week and Tom Ford will have the closing runway show.  IMG announced the debut of the IMG Fashion Alliance, featuring designers like Telfar, Rodarte, Proenza Schouler, and more. The members of the alliance will continue to have shows in New York for the next three seasons from September 2021 through 2022. This is reflective of the push to support smaller creatives who were especially impacted by the pandemic.  You can view the full NYFW Spring 2022 schedule here.

The British Fashion Council has released its plans for the upcoming September fashion week. London Fashion Week for Spring 2022 will take place from Sept. 17-21. The council intends to use this event as a “cultural reopening”. There will be a mix of virtual and in-person events. While many designers are desperate to get back to real runway shows, others have found ways to adjust and benefit from the digital landscape. Ready-to-wear brand Auroboros had its debut at the men’s London Fashion Week in June with a virtual 14-piece collection. Auroboros is the first fashion brand to do a digital-only collection at a major international fashion week. You can view the full schedule for London’s fashion week here.

Milan men’s fashion week was at full capacity with in-person shows during the summer. The Italian city is set on hosting physical shows for the women’s collections, all scheduled for Sept. 21-27. Milan Fashion Week is expected to have 42 in-person events out of a total of 61 so far. Italian designer brands Versace, Armani, Fendi, Prada and several others will host live runway shows. Gucci did not host any shows during the May 2020 fashion week and is also absent from the September lineup. Instead, the fashion house is expected to present its collection on Nov. 3 in Los Angeles. The full Milan fashion week schedule is available here.

As for Paris, the couture week in July was fully in-person, so the fashion week is expected to also take this approach. Paris Fashion Week will take place from Sept. 28  to Oct. 6. French fashion house Balmain’s creative director Olivier Rousteing announced a two-day music and fashion festival at The Seine Musicale on the 29th. Around 3,400 people will attend to celebrate Rousteing’s 10-year anniversary with Balmain. The brand has also teamed up with (RED) and the Global Fund, two organizations dedicated to funding research for and helping people with HIV and AIDS, to make the festival free and open to the public on the 28th. On the first day of the festival, the first 1,200 people who donate a minimum of  €15 to (RED) and the Global Fund will get two tickets to the Balmain events. You can view the full schedule for Paris fashion week here.

The four major international cities are all focusing on celebrating designers from their countries after over a year of hardship and difficulty. The fashion industry is reevaluating its priorities and choosing to uplift small creatives and national designers. The September fashion month is another step in the cultural shift back to normality in a post-pandemic world.