Fashion Week | Design, Education & Industry in Motion

Fashion Week isn’t just spectacle, it’s structure. (DE-FI)’s Fashion Weeks in Dayton and Cincinnati,  bring runway, education, and industry into alignment. We anchor every show in mentorship, technical infrastructure, and creative advancement. Join us where creative visions meet real career advancement. Fashion Week is more than a runway; at (DE-FI) Global INC, we’re re(DE-FI)ning what Fashion Week means for the Midwest by turning the spotlight on strategy. We use Fashion Week as a tool for education, access, and economic growth, connecting designers, models, and makers to the infrastructure that sustains real careers in fashion. 

The first organized fashion events began in New York City in 1943, led by Eleanor Lambert, a pioneering publicist who created what was then called Press Week. Her goal wasn’t fame, it was access. Lambert wanted to bring American designers to the global stage at a time when the world looked to Paris for inspiration.

By the 1980s, Fern Mallis, then Executive Director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), formalized Fashion Week as we know it. In 1993, she launched “7th on Sixth”, centralizing New York’s scattered shows under one tent at Bryant Park. That move professionalized Fashion Week and made it a unifying force for designers, buyers, and media.

Before it became a global spectacle, Fashion Week was called “Market Week” , a trade and business gathering where buyers placed orders, editors reviewed trends, and the next season’s economy was built. It was about commerce, craftsmanship, and connection not celebrity.

That’s where (DE-FI) comes in. We’re returning to those roots, rebuilding regional Fashion Weeks as it was meant to be; a marketplace, an incubator, and a launchpad for regional talent and industry growth.

Fashion Week is not a single event. It is a designated period on the global fashion calendar when official runway shows, presentations, and trade events take place. Each major city, New York, London, Milan, and Paris has its own schedule coordinated with the international fashion cycle.

During these weeks, approved producers and governing organizations host industry-recognized showcases where designers debut seasonal collections for buyers, editors, stylists, and retailers. These events drive global fashion commerce and set trends for the upcoming season.

However, not every show that takes place during this timeframe is official. Many pop-up productions, influencer showcases, and vendor fairs occur simultaneously to capitalize on Fashion Week’s visibility. While creative expression is welcome, these are not part of the official Fashion Week calendar and do not carry the same professional or career-advancing weight.

 The Official New York Fashion Week

There is only one official New York Fashion Week (NYFW). It is organized and produced by IMG/WME and curated by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), which owns the calendar and oversees the schedule.

The Spring/Summer 2026 season is scheduled for September 11–16, 2025. If an event or show is not listed on the CFDA calendar, it is not an official NYFW presentation. It is simply a show taking place in New York during Fashion Week.

The same principle applies in other cities:

• Los Angeles Fashion Week includes several independent producers (Art Hearts Fashion, N4XT Experiences, Style Fashion Week). The name is currently involved in trademark disputes.
• Miami Swim Week has only one official production, Paraiso Miami Beach.
• Miami Fashion Week is produced by Lourdes Fernández-Velasco and The Fashion Shows LLC.

Why This Information Matters

Many aspiring and emerging designers and models are unknowingly misled into paying to participate in shows that claim affiliation with “Fashion Week.” Some may provide exposure or experience, but others exploit participants without offering legitimate industry access or recognition.

Working with smaller independent producers is not inherently negative. Some offer authentic opportunities to gain practice, build networks, or test collections. However, it’s crucial to understand the difference between opportunity and advancement:

• Opportunities create visibility or experience.
• Advancement connects you to the official fashion ecosystem, where your work can lead to press coverage, buyer interest, or professional growth.

Knowing the difference protects your time, money, and reputation. Before joining any show, research the producer, confirm whether the event appears on an official calendar, and understand what you will gain beyond photos or social media exposure.

Fashion Week was built to elevate designers and professionals, not exploit them. Understanding its structure is the first step toward building a credible, sustainable career in fashion.

Before You Commit: Quick Checklist

1. Is the event on an official calendar?
2. Who is the producer and are their credentials verifiable?
3. Are accredited media or buyers attending?
4. Are you paying to participate, and what return do you get beyond photos?
5. Does this move you toward long-term advancement, not just short-term exposure?

While traditional regional Fashion Weeks focus on exclusivity and exposure, we focus on education and access. Every show, meeting, and networking event under the (DE-FI) umbrella is built to strengthen the Fashion Pipeline, the system connecting designers, models, photographers, stylists, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs.

Our Fashion Weeks in Dayton and Cincinnati are designed to:

1. Educate and empower emerging talent through mentorship, workshops, and incubator programming
2. Connect designers with buyers, investors, and media in a professional trade setting
3. Showcase sustainable production and local sourcing through our Farm to Fashion initiative
4. Bridge STEM and design through the STEM Atelier, integrating technology and textile innovation
5. Create measurable economic outcomes contracts, jobs, and partnerships that last beyond the runway

Our work is not about being first on the red carpet. It’s about ensuring that everyone involved leaves with tools, knowledge, and relationships to build a career.

Every (DE-FI)  produced Fashion Week, Dayton Fashion Week, Fashion Week of Cincinnati, and (DE-FI) Fashion Week is structured as an ecosystem in motion.

Designers from our Fashion Incubator debut new collections refined through months of mentorship and feedback. Models from our Model Incubator gain real-world experience with portfolio development and runway professionalism.

We use Fashion Week as both a culmination of learning and a springboard into industry practice. Participants leave with tangible outcomes: buyers, media coverage, and professional relationships.

This approach mirrors what Lambert and Mallis envisioned, a fashion industry that sustains itself through education, inclusion, and commerce.

• Dayton Fashion Week, (July 10-13, 2025), Theme: Unorthodox. is Dayton Fashion Week is the capstone for the Fashion Incubator of Dayton and an educational and community-focused experience for emerging designers.
• (DE-FI) Fashion Week, (September 16-20, 2025),Theme: The Fabric of the Industry. (DE-FI) Fashion Week connects the full spectrum, highlighting the hidden labor, innovation, and careers that make the fashion industry run.
• Fashion Week of Cincinnati, (November 5-8, 2025), Theme: Amplify. This is our outward-facing industry showcase, we’re lifting up designers, stylists, retailers, and creatives who often operate in the margins, while connecting them to platforms, press, and pipelines amplifying regional talent, retail partners, and co-producers in a more market-ready format.

Our goal isn’t just to host shows. It’s to build an economic engine.

(DE-FI) produced Fashion Weeks are laying the groundwork to restore Market Week in its original sense where designers meet retailers, manufacturers connect with creators, and the Midwest becomes a recognized hub for fashion trade.

Through our working relationship with CFDA, Sew Valley, Hocking Hills Garment Center, Rust Belt Fibershed, and industry leaders like Shawn Pean and Elliot Carlyle, and so many more we are developing a model where Midwest Fashion Weeks aren’t isolated events but part of a unified regional fashion calendar and marketplace.

The result will be a scalable network that merges education, commerce, and creativity across Dayton, Cincinnati, and beyond.

Fashion Weeks are more than style; they are economic infrastructure. Globally, the fashion industry employs over 75 million people and contributes $2.5 trillion annually to the world economy (FashionUnited, 2024).

In the U.S., regional Fashion Weeks have become incubators for job creation, innovation, and community revitalization. By aligning with national and international standards while staying grounded in Midwest values, (DE-FI) produced Fashion Weeks ensure that local talent can compete and thrive on the world stage.

Whether you are a designer, model, sponsor, educator, or curious observer, there is a place for you at (DE-FI) produced Fashion Weeks.

Designers — Apply to show and join our incubator programs

Models — Audition for our next cohort

Industry Partners — Sponsor or collaborate to expand our infrastructure

Community Members — Attend, learn, and help shape Dayton’s creative economy

We don’t just host Fashion Weeks, we:

• Build industries
• Create access
• Connect dreams to infrastructure

What started as Press Week in 1943 has evolved into a platform for empowerment, education, and entrepreneurship. At (DE-FI) Global INC, we’re taking that legacy further from runway to region, from Dayton and Cincinnati to the world.