The top 5 unconventional fashion weeks

For those who are interested in fashion but don’t necessarily subscribe to the hype, paparazzi and VIP-flurry of London, Paris, Milan, and New York, there are numerous up-and-coming and less conventional fashion weeks to attend.

In new fashion capitals across the globe, these events are surprising the industry with their representation of youth culture and providing a platform with plenty of creative freedom for designers. Here is our pick of the best.

Berlin Alternative Fashion Week: 4th to 7th October 2017

This is one for those who appreciate the wacky and the wonderful. As an ‘alternative’ fashion week, much of the style is influenced by Berlin’s subcultures, resulting in a melee of provocative designs, from anti-war slogans to vertiginous platforms and see-through dresses.

The message is that there is no status quo – the catwalk creations can be as abstract as the imagination can take us, generally making the final body of work expressive and ingenious. Stay at the central Casa Camper Berlin, only a ten-minute walk from Alexanderplatz.

Africa Fashion Week: n/a

Not confined to any one city, Africa Fashion Week is an event that seeks to celebrate African fashion on a global scale. Promoting African brands, style, and international collaborations, it has been a breath of fresh air into the fashion industry, with young African designers even drawing inspiration from mathematical equations.

Since the idea was born in New York in 2009, it has spread to London, Paris, Milan, and Tokyo, with smaller, spin-off events also happening in capitals around the world.

Seoul Fashion Week: 16th to 21st October 2017

If you like being one step ahead of the sartorial curve, Seoul Fashion Week is where you need to be this October. The whole event was rebranded relatively recently to make it more inclusive and international, and it’s already helped make Korea an influential key player on the world fashion stage.

You’ll find some of the world’s most experimental and inspiring emerging designers here, while the street style is just as eye-catching as each collection. Expect things like boxy silhouettes, coats customised with conceptual stitching, ‘clashing’ colours, and belts repurposed as necklaces. A House is an appropriately-fashionable hotel for Fashion Week attendees, with a rooftop terrace overlooking Seoul’s glittering skyline.

Brighton Fashion Week: 15th to 17th October 2017

Shortly following September’s London Fashion Week, Brighton’s equivalent is relatively unheard of, despite being the biggest fashion platform outside the capital. Its focus is on sustainability with the finale show, the ‘Zeitgeist Catwalk’, requiring participating designers to demonstrate ethical and sustainable practices in order to be featured.

With debates, talks, workshops, installations, and opportunities for industry networking, this is the fashion week for those who really want to dig their teeth into the future of fashion. Stay at 27 Bed & Breakfast for eclectic, chic décor and a short walk to Brighton beach.

Melbourne Fashion Week: 1st to 8th September 2017

For one week in September, Melbourne Fashion Week puts on over 150 events in the grand, Second Empire-style Melbourne Town Hall and a few other venues around the city centre.

Though it’s held in spring (September in Australia), MFW has more of a trans-seasonal feel. Many of its runways, workshops, exhibitions, pop ups, films, and parties are open to the public and entry is free. And keep an eye out for big flagship stores and Vogue Australia advertising opening nights events. With hot tubs in each room looking out onto Melbourne CBD, Grand Hyatt Melbourne is both glamorous and conveniently-located for Fashion Week guests.