Milan Fashion Week is named for Milan, the Italian city where the event is held. It is one of the “Big Four” fashion weeks, alongside those in New York, London and Paris.
The modern event traces its organized history to 1958 and is coordinated in part by Italy’s National Chamber of Fashion, or Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. It runs twice yearly: autumn/winter collections are generally presented in February and March, while spring/summer collections appear in September and October.
Milan is especially associated with Italian luxury, tailoring, leather goods and influential fashion houses such as Prada, Gucci, Versace, Armani and Dolce & Gabbana. A common mix-up is confusing Milan Fashion Week with Paris Fashion Week, which follows it in the traditional international fashion calendar. The city name refers to the location, not to one particular designer or brand.