Fashion month explained: New York, London, Milan, Paris

By Lara Owen, PA

Twice a year, the fashion industry assembles in four global capitals – New York, London, Milan, and Paris – to unveil the styles and silhouettes that will shape wardrobes for the coming season.

This coming showcase, known as autumn/winter Fashion Month, is where industry heavyweights, emerging talents and cultural influencers intersect.

This season, the women’s ready-to-wear Big Four circuit kicks off on February 11, and there’s an exciting array of debuts, returns and reinvention in store.

New York: February 11th-16th

New York Fashion Week (NYFW) opens the seasonal ritual from February 11 to 16, 2026, changing from their original dates to align better with the global fashion calendar.

“Since NYFW September 2025 began a week later this past season, if we kept the dates early in February – as traditionally done for the autumn-winter season – this would have resulted in over a week of lost time for brands and their teams to prepare while creating an unnecessarily large distance of time between New York and London, Milan, and Paris,” the director of fashion week at Council of Fashion Designer of America (CFDA) Joseph Maglieri, told Fashion Network.

The week opens with a high-profile show: Rachel Scott’s official debut at Proenza Schouler, following her mid-season arrival last year, when she stepped in to refine work already underway.

While the closing show has yet to be announced – and will not be Raul Lopez’s Luar, as the designer has not confirmed plans – legacy brands like Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren will set the tone early with off-calendar presentations on February 9 and 10.

Among the newcomers this season is 7 for All Mankind, now under the creative direction of former Blumarine designer Nicola Brognano. Carolina Herrera returns after a spring detour to Madrid, while Public School’s Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow re-join the calendar. Derek Lam also makes a comeback, now led by Robert Rodriguez.

London: February 19th-23th

For the first time in years, Temperley London returns to the official London Fashion Week (LFW) runway to honour its 25th anniversary – a moment that feels symbolic of London’s resurgence as both creative and commercial force.

Julien MacDonald, absent since early 2023, is also back in the mix. But most talked about is Joseph, returning to the schedule after nearly a decade away, now under the creative direction of Mario Arena, who has said that reinstating the label’s runway presence is “where, as a fashion house, we belong”.

Alongside these headline returns, stalwarts like Burberry, Simone Rocha, Erdem and Emilia Wickstead will anchor the schedule, while designers such as Chet Lo, John Richmond, Masha Popova and Phoebe English are also on board, keeping London’s reputation for eclectic creativity alive.

Importantly, the British Fashion Council continues to waive show fees and has significantly expanded its International Guest Programme – a move designed to bring more international press, buyers and cultural commentators to the capital’s shows this season.

But it’s not all familiar faces. New entrants like Agro Studio, Clara Chu, Ewenki, Gravalot, Liberowe, Raw Mango and Selasi are set to debut, injecting exciting, fresh perspectives into LFW.

Milan: February 24th-March 2nd

By the end of February, fashion moves to Milan (Feb 24-Mar 2), a city synonymous with craftsmanship, precision tailoring and luxury finish.

Milan’s schedule is the industry’s ode to Italian heritage – Prada’s architectural precision, Gucci’s distinct maximalism, Dolce & Gabbana’s Mediterranean flair and Armani’s timeless elegance. These houses blend tradition with avant-garde innovation, often setting the agenda for how luxury will be interpreted in the coming seasons.

This season carries particular buzz with Maria Grazia Chiuri’s debut at Fendi. The former Dior creative will return to the Roman house where her fashion journey began.

It will also be the first show since Valentino Garavani’s passing on 19 January 2026, the late designer helped define Italy’s global fashion identity, and will undoubtedly draw mass tributes.

Bottega Veneta, Ferragamo and Versace will continue to recalibrate their identities at Milan, meanwhile, a new generation of Italian designers like Marco Rambaldi, Sunnei and Magliano will bring a new energy and perspective to the week.

Paris: March 3rd-11th

Finally, the piece de resistance is Paris Fashion Week, running from March 3 to 11 2026.

Véronique Nichanian, Hermès’s men’s artistic director for 37 years – one of fashion’s longest-serving creative leaders – stepped down with her last show for menswear in January, marking the end of an era. But her legacy will undoubtedly cast a thoughtful shade across Paris’s runways this March.

Elsewhere, Paris will spotlight several significant debuts and transitions that signal a new creative chapter for some of fashion’s most storied houses.

Newly appointed as Balmain’s creative director, Antonin Tron will present his first autumn/winter collection for the house. Known for his sculptural minimalism and fabric-forward approach, his debut is one of the most anticipated shifts in Paris this season.

Following his well-received involvement in Dior’s men’s program, Irish designer Jonathan Anderson is expected to show his first full women’s ready-to-wear collection in Paris following his debut last September, bringing his conceptual yet wearable sensibility to one of fashion’s most iconic maisons.

While some shifts from earlier in the year (such as Grace Wales Bonner’s future takeover of Hermès menswear) are slated for later runway debuts, the overall season reflects broader backstage movement across Paris and the global calendar, with designers carrying fresh visions into their collections, eager to reinvigorate heritage houses.