Alternative Fashion Capitals

Book excerpt: If you are even mildly curious about the fashion industry and its inner workings, then you’ve heard of the concept of “fashion capitals”. You’ve probably heard that there are four of them: New York, London, Milan, and Paris. These cities are supposedly the ultimate authority of everything fashion-related. But isn’t it unreasonable to consider, on a planet of almost 8 billion people, that only four large cities hold the keys to an entire industry in which everyone has to take part at some level? Yes, it is. This is part of the underpinning of what inspired Manic Metallic to create an entire series on what we call “alternative fashion capitals”. We define alternative fashion capitals as “any major city across the world with an infrastructure that actively supports those in the fashion industry”; we included twenty cities that we believe have strong foundations for those wishing to enter fashion. We count the following as necessary components that make up a fashion infrastructure: Shopping Districts: Neighborhoods and/or major streets that house a critical mass of entities such as boutiques, concept stores, fashion ateliers, etc. Specific Places To Shop: Boutiques, concept stores, malls, and outdoor markets housed within a given alternative fashion capital that are both unique and relevant to that specific city Brands: Fashion designers and/or brands that exist within a given alternative fashion capital and specifically contribute to the betterment of that city’s fashion scene Events: Gatherings such as fashion weeks, festivals, and other similar events that operate specifically for the advancement of that city’s fashion industry Fashion Organizations: Organizations existing in a city that operate with the goal of furthering the development and advancement of that city’s fashion industry Fashion Publications: Media publications - primarily magazines, but not necessarily - that exist inside of an alternative fashion capital and have the purpose of disseminating fashion ideas, news, editorials, etc. Universities and Colleges: Institutions of higher learning that grant fashion-related degrees to students interested in fashion industry careers. Inside each of the twenty chapters - with one dedicated to each of the twenty alternative fashion capitals - we outline the offerings that these cities have within each of the aforementioned sections, while leading each chapter off with a brief comment on what the fashion capital is known for within the scope of the industry.