We are used to seeing winter clothes on shop shelves and catwalks when it is still the time for shorts and swimming costumes outside while it is still the middle of winter.
Fashion seasons do not correspond to weather seasonsthis is now clear. But if you happened to ask yourself why this happens, know that it is no accident, but the result of a precise calendar that marks the rhythms of the fashion industry.
The fashion system follows a well-defined cycle of seasons that regulate the production, sale and promotion of collections.
In this article we take a look at how the fashion seasons and the ready-to-wear calendar work to better plan your collections.
I am Corrado Manenti and guide you through the complex and fascinating world of fashion seasons, helping you to understand how they work and how they influence the creation and sale of collections.
We will explore together the role of main and intermediate collections and the challenges designers face in adapting to a system that, now more than ever, is constantly evolving. Understand how the mechanism of seasonality impacts your brand and which strategies you can adopt to make your collection more competitive and sustainable.
If this is the first article you read, welcome to Be A Designer: the community dedicated to emerging fashion designers and those who dream of turning their passion for fashion into a successful business.
What is meant by the fashion cycle?
The fashion seasons represent the heart of the industry's business cycleensuring constant renewal and keeping the market's attention.
Generally, designers present at least two collections per year: Spring/Summer (S/S) and Autumn/Winter (F/W). Each season has a maximum duration of six months, but the creative and production process starts well in advance to ensure that the garments are available in the shops at the right time: it is therefore necessary to finalise and receive the Autumn/Winter collection, for example, by the middle of the Spring/Summer season.
The fashion shows presenting these collections therefore take place months in advance:
- A September/October the following year's Spring/Summer collections are presented.
- A February/March those for the following autumn/winter.
This timing is designed to give buyers time to place orders and manufacturers time to make garments in time for sale in shops.
The subdivision therefore has a value above all commercial and organisational. We think of historical brands such as Dior, Prada o ChanelTheir collections are designed months in advance and follow a precise cycle. The Spring/Summer collection is usually presented in September, and the Fall/Winter in February.
For an up-and-coming designer, it is essential to know these times even if he or she does not (yet) participate in the big catwalks, because the whole industry - from production to marketing - revolves around these rhythms.
The Intermediate Collections: Untangling the Pre-fall and Resort/Cruise Collections
Collections overlap even more when you consider the intermediate seasonsPre-Fall and Resort/Cruise.
Pre-Collections ResortAlthough they are considered less prestigious than the main collections, they represent a fundamental piece in the commercial strategy of fashion brands. Their arrival in shops comes at a time of transition: after that the collection Autumn/Winter has been discounted to make room for new arrivals, but first that the leaders Spring/Summer are officially distributed to retailers.
This timing allows brands to keep the market's attention and offer consumers new products without interruptionavoiding gaps between seasons.
Originally, the Resort Collections were also called CruiseThey were designed for an elite clientele who, during the colder months, enjoyed holidays in tropical locations or cruises in exotic seas. The garments on offer were therefore light, fresh and perfect for those who wanted a summer wardrobe even in the middle of winter. However, with the passage of time and the globalisation of the fashion market, the concept of the Resort pre-collection has evolved: today these launches include not only summer garments, but also winter piecesdesigned for an increasingly international audience.
Countries such as China, Russia and the Arab Gulf nations have different consumption habits from Europe and the United States. Their climatic and cultural requirements mean that mid-season garments or those with a more versatile taste find a thriving market, regardless of the traditional fashion calendar. Precisely for this reason, the Resort collections have become a proposal hybrid and strategiccapable of adapting to the demands of an increasingly interconnected world.
In addition to their commercial function, these collections are also a branding and storytelling opportunity. Unlike the Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter collections, which are presented during the classic Fashion Weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris, the Resort Collections offer brands the freedom to organise fashion shows and events in exclusive and scenic locations. Dior in Marrakech, Chanel in Cuba, Louis Vuitton in BrazilEach pre-collection becomes a global media event, capable of attracting the attention of the press and consumers, turning into a true luxury and desirability experience.
Collections Resort o Cruise are usually presented in May, although there is no official Fashion Week dedicated to this season.
The big luxury brands, however, as we have seen, take this opportunity to organise some of their most spectacular and scenic events, often set in exclusive locations, precisely to emphasise the international and aspirational character of these collections designed for travelling customers.
Although presented in spring, holiday collections arrive in shops in winter, usually from mid-November, anticipating the peak season of the Christmas holidays and travel to exotic destinations.
Le Pre-Fall collections on the other hand, they do not involve an official fashion week or impressive fashion shows as in the case of the Cruises. They are often presented by designers in a more intimate form or via lookbooks, and launched before the official Autumn/Winter collections.
As a rule, Pre-Fall is delivered to shops as early as May, anticipating the summer collections and offering a smooth transition between seasons, perfect to meet the needs of an increasingly fluid customer who is less tied to traditional seasonal codes.
In an increasingly competitive sector, the Resort collections demonstrate how important it is for brands to maintain a constant presence on the market, innovating not only through products, but also through increasingly targeted and sophisticated marketing and distribution strategies.
Online and offline: when and how to show your collection to the public
The launch is not just a moment. It is a precisely constructed routeof strategic choices and careful details that add up to a complete experience. Showing a collection to the public means telling a visual and sensory story that must strike, involve, seduce.
From the creative phase to production, everything must lead to a moment of revelation in which each piece - images, words, sounds, colours - consistently communicates who you are and what you want to say. This is where the integrated communicationwhich combines online and offline in a single narrative direction.
In the digital world, every image is a business card. Shoots must be designed not only to excite, but to speak the language of your brandto translate the essence of the collection into a clear and recognisable artistic direction. Videos become immersion tools, the website your virtual boutique, social media your personal magazine. Each piece of content must be synchronised with the season, with the launch, with the imagery you have built.
Offline, your collection can come to life through private presentations, pop-ups, experiential events. Every occasion is a chance to create real connectionto let people touch the garments, to tell their story live. And even here, nothing can be left to chance: location, mood, communication materials, every detail contributes to making the moment memorable.
Thinking about when and how to show your collection means governing the time and space of your brand. It is not enough to publish a photo or open an e-commerce: you need a structured narrative, a precise timeline, a coherence that makes your project credible and desirable.
This is how you build brands that stick, that don't go unnoticed, that don't need to shout to get noticed.
5 KEY ELEMENTS FOR AN EFFECTIVE COLLECTION LAUNCH
- Coordinated Shooting
Not just beautiful pictures, but images designed to speak the same language as the collection and the brand. - Emotional or teaser video
A short video, even a simple one, can create atmosphere, anticipation and an emotional connection with the audience. - Updated and navigable website
Your collection must have a digital home: easy to use, consistent with brand identity and ready to sell. - Structured social plan
From reels to launch posts: you need a strategy, not just content. Frequency, tone and style must be aligned. - Direct communication
Newsletters, customised invitations, previews for customers or buyers: engage those who really matter, at the right time.
The future of fashion seasons: what opportunities for new brands?
If you are thinking of launching your own fashion collection, this debate concerns you closely. Follow the traditional calendar or propose a more flexible model?
The concept of 'season' in fashion, however well-established, is changing. The rigid Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter subdivisions are giving way, in some cases, to a more fluid, dynamic, personalised vision.
The new generations of consumers are no longer guided only by the calendar, but by emotions, values and instant desires. This change, which for big brands represents a challenge, for emerging brands is a extraordinary opportunityIt allows you to break free from pre-established patterns and build a more authentic, direct, organic dialogue with your audience.
Those who start today have the privilege of rethinking the rules of the game, adapting them to their own vision and creative pace.
You can decide to create 'seasonal' collections based on your language, not just the calendar, as well as launching capsules themes, modular collections, continuous drops, stories in progress. This allows you not only to better manage your budget and production, but also to build a more intimate and sincere relationship with your audience.
Seasonality does not disappear: it turns into an inspirationnot an imposition.
Imagine you close your eyes. What is the first frame that appears to you? Perhaps an expanse of white linen moving in the wind, a clear sky, skin glowing with sunlight. Or a warm room, lit candles, velvet, intimate atmosphere.
Each season has its own imagery. A specific energy. A set of symbols, colours, materials and moods that make it instantly recognisable. Drawing from that imaginary allows you to build a solid, harmonious collection that speaks the language of the time in which it wants to go out.
Creating a coherent concept does not mean giving up your identity. It means channel it into a seasonal narrative that the public can understand and desire.
A summer garment needs freshness in cuts, lightness in materials, a palette that evokes light and movement. A winter garment can afford structure, depth, the embrace of fuller fabrics.
The season is the narrative container of your brand. It is not a constraint: it is an opportunity to express yourself more precisely.
And that is where we come in: we help you translate your inner world into a coherent outer vision, make aesthetics and season mutually reinforcing. So your collection will not only be beautiful, but fair, timely and memorable.
Telling emotions, not just seasons
The future of independent fashion does not just speak of summer or winter. It speaks of moods, feelings, moments of life.
A brand born today has the power - and the responsibility - to create authentic connections, through collections that respond to real needs, not imposed deadlines.
Want to launch a collection that speaks of freedom? No need to wait until June.
Have you created garments that express intimacy and protection? They don't necessarily have to come out in November.
Whoever builds a contemporary brand must learn to read the emotions of their audienceto intercept his inner weather, rather than the weather.
In an increasingly connected and unpredictable world, seasons become expressive tools, no longer cages. And you can use them to tell something true, something necessary, something deeply yours.
How to choose the right season for your first collection with the BAD method
In the world of fashion, time is everything. You can have an extraordinary idea, you can work with precious materials, you can build a collection with a strong concept. But if you arrive late, you risk staying out of the game. Development timeframes are not simple deadlines: they are the pillars of a professional project. And knowing how to manage them is the difference between improvisation and entrepreneurship.
Each collection requires clearly defined stages: initial research, design, pattern making, prototypes, corrections, fitting tests, photo shoots, creation of communication materials, launch. Each of these stages requires time, attention and coordination.
A common mistake is to underestimate the impact of delays: postponing a fitting can shift the entire production. Postponing a shoot can throw off the launch strategy. Not having product sheets ready can jeopardise sales.
That is why with us leave nothing to chance. Together we build an operational calendar that not only helps you keep to the timetable, but also makes you experience the process with greater serenity and clarity.
Working methodically does not mean holding back creativity. It means put it in a position to really emergewithout the chaos and urgency of the last minute. Because your project does not just deserve to be realised. It deserves to reach the world in the perfect moment.
The big fast fashion giants have accustomed the market to continuous collections and affordable prices, but this model is often less and less sustainable? both for the environment and for designers.
If you are launching an independent brand, your strength will be authenticity, quality and identity. Brands such as The Row, Lemaire o Nanushka show that success can also be built with a slow vision, consisting of selected materials, deep storytelling and more realistic timelines.
And we are here to help you find the the right balance between inspiration and planningrespecting the timeframe of your project.
Some emerging brands are already choosing to abandoning seasonality in favour of:
- Continuous collections ? Garments available all year round, without time pressure.
- Productions on demand ? Only what is sold is produced, avoiding waste.
- Drop Strategy ? Mini-collections released at strategic moments, without following the classic seasons.
The industry is changing and there are many avenues to explore. You want to develop your brand and find the model that best suits your vision, we at Be A Designer can help you build a strategy tailored to you.
Creating a collection is not only a creative act: in my manual I explain how the creation is first and foremost a strategic journey. A journey that begins long before choosing fabrics or drawing the first sketches. Our method stems precisely from this awareness: supporting you at every stageguiding you step by step with an approach that combines inspiration and structure, vision and concreteness.
And we do it from where nobody usually looks: from the foundations of your brand.
Brand analysis with the Fashion Business Designer Canvas
One does not start by drawing. One starts by thinking.
This is the mantra with which we welcome each new project. Before we even talk about the collection, we sit down with you and build your brand map. We use an exclusive tool, created and perfected by me: the Fashion Business Designer Canvas.
It is a visual, practical and intuitive model that allows you to have a clear and complete vision of your project. Let us analyse together who you are, what you want to convey, who you want to address and what is the ideal positioning for your brand.
But we do not stop at theory. We work on the visual languageon your brand values, on your creative personality. Let us build your brand identity together, so that every garment you design is part of a coherent systemrecognisable and memorable.
It is like building the foundation before putting up the walls. It allows you to make decisions with more confidence, even if it is your first collection.
Above all, it allows you to never lose your compasseven when the creative process starts to pick up speed.
Defining the operating schedule tailored to your project
Every brand has its own rhythm. And every project needs a time made to measure.
In our method you will never find pre-packaged routes. What we build with you is a tailor-made calendar: designed to respect your creative energy, your availability, your goals and market deadlines.
Thanks to this structure, every moment of your journey is designed to bring you from an idea to a real brandwithout dispersion, without blockages, but methodically and with an experienced team always at your side.
? Want to find out how we could build the perfect calendar for your collection? Book your free consultation and start planning your fashion debut the right way.
We establish the stages together: from creative research to conceptualisation, from prototyping to shooting, from promotion to official launch. Each stage is planned in detail, with margins of flexibility that take into account the realitynot just the ideal.
Fashion is art, yes. But it is also method, timing, organisation.
And this is where our work becomes valuable: we turn your vision into a project with strong legscapable of walking in the real world without stumbling, without taking unnecessary risks, without missing opportunities.
From creation to launch: we follow you step by step
We are not a course, we are not a platform, we do not leave you with tutorials to follow. We are a team in the fleshready to work with you and for you, with all the energy and experience gained in over twelve years of working alongside emerging designers.
We are a team of professional stylists, experienced pattern makers, strategists and communication specialistsall coordinated to accompany you every step of the way.
Whether you start with an abstract idea or a collection already sketched out, we are there: to help you make decisions, solve problems, overcome blockages and, above all, realise your project in a professional and credible way.
Over time we have built a strong network of suppliers, workshops, photographers, manufacturers and consultantscarefully selected for quality, reliability and openness to emerging projects.
This means that, even if you start from scratch, you will have access to exclusive materials, high-level workmanship and conditions usually reserved for structured brands.
The result? A collection that is not only beautiful, but ready to be on the market.
A concrete project, with attention to detail, sustainable in cost and scalable over time. A collection that tells who you are, that speaks the language of your audience, and that has all the credentials to turn your passion into a real brand.
The fashion calendar is undergoing a profound transformation. The whole system is opening up to new possibilities: more flexibility in creative times, more attention to sustainability and a renewed respect for the well-being of the people working behind the scenes.
As always, fashion never stops evolving. It is a living ecosystem, constantly moving, capable of redefining itself season after season, following (and sometimes anticipating) the cultural, social and economic changes of our time.
If this article has inspired you, leave a comment and share it with those like you who want to build something beautiful and authentic in the world of fashion!
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