When it comes to fashion, there are several different seasons that you can expect to see. You can expect to see pre-collection, Pre-fall, Fall, Winter, and Resort fashions. Each season will also have its own different style and color trends. These can be quite difficult to keep up with.
Tune in below to get the scoop on when each season is and what that means for you.
Pre-collection
The fashion industry is divided into four seasons, Spring/Summer, Fall/Winter, Resort, and Pre-Fall. Spring/Summer collections begin in January and run until June. Fall/Winter starts in July and lasts until December. Between the two seasons are Resort collections, which begin in late October or early December, and Pre-Fall collections, which come out before Fall/Winter.
Fashion houses release pre-collection collections before the actual season starts, which means that they get a bigger chunk of their profit. In addition, the pre-collection collections are often less dramatic, so they are more wearable. As a result, the pre-collection is usually more affordable for the average consumer.
Pre-fall
There are two basic fashion seasons – fall and spring. Retailers generally release spring clothes early in the spring season. Fall clothes follow, arriving in stores around July to catch back-to-school shoppers. During this time, previous seasons are often discounted and put on sale. The purpose is to maximize sales.
The fall and winter seasons, as well as resort and pre-fall, are the most popular times to buy new clothes. However, fashion can be divided into many more seasons, and sometimes it can be confusing to keep up with them. Usually, there are two to eight major fashion seasons, and other times there are micro-seasons that happen more frequently, such as the fast fashion fad or emerging trends.
AW
There are four fashion seasons in the fashion industry. SS (spring/summer) and AW (autumn/winter) are the most common seasons, while pre-fall, or Resort, is the newest. SS and AW fashion weeks are held in Paris, Milan, New York, and London, respectively. Resort and Pre-fall collections are not shown during fashion weeks, and are released separately by labels.
Fashion moves at a rapid rate. Companies such as Zara release a new collection every two weeks, or 24 collections per year. Some brands release a cruise collection or resort collection during the colder months of the year. These are essentially holiday collections, and the term “cruise collection” is a play on the term “resort.” Originally, these collections were made for wealthy customers going on cruises during the winter months. SS and AW are the two main seasons, but there are also variations in the seasons.
Resort
The fashion industry divides its collections into four major seasons: spring/summer, fall/winter, resort, and pre-fall. Fall/winter and resort are overlapping periods, but resort was originally created for fashion houses that wanted to offer clothing for wealthy clients to wear on vacation. Today, there are more fashion seasons than ever, with some fashion houses releasing collections as often as monthly.
The retail calendar for fashion is different than the traditional calendar. Spring/summer merchandise hits the stores early in January, while fall/winter merchandise begins to show in July. The fashion calendar also includes a pre-fall season, which may last up to six months. Pre-fall merchandise hits the shelves before Fall/winter items do, allowing customers to get the latest styles before the season is over.