# Corporate Travel Management for Fashion and Retail URL: https://emptvl.vercel.app/corporate-travel/industries/fashion-and-retail Publisher: Empyrean Travel (https://emptvl.vercel.app/) Last reviewed: 2026-10-19 Fashion and retail travel management: New York, London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks, trade shows, sourcing trips and samples, planned around the season. **Quick answer:** Fashion and retail travel follows the season: womenswear shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris each February and September, men’s shows in January and June, trade shows, and sourcing trips to mills and factories. The challenges are hotel scarcity during show weeks, back-to-back cities, samples and garment bags that must arrive intact, and teams who need to arrive rested and ready. - Common trip types: Fashion weeks, trade shows, market weeks, sourcing and store visits - Biggest pain point: Hotels that sell out during show weeks - What helps most: Booking the season calendar a year ahead - Related services: Meetings and events and international travel ## How does the fashion calendar shape travel? The womenswear shows move as a circuit: New York first, then London, Milan and Paris, in February and again in September, with Paris often running into early March and early October. Men’s collections show in January and June, with Pitti Uomo in Florence followed by the men’s weeks in Milan and Paris. For buyers, editors and brand teams, that adds up to weeks of back-to-back cities. Because the order rarely changes, the travel can be planned as one long itinerary rather than four separate trips. ## How do you plan a fashion week circuit? Book the whole circuit as soon as the official calendars are published. Hotels in SoHo, Mayfair, Milan’s Brera and the Quadrilatero della Moda, and Paris’s 8th arrondissement and the Marais fill quickly during show weeks, and rates rise sharply. - Use one-way or open-jaw tickets between cities, and rail where it wins door to door, such as Eurostar between London and Paris - Choose hotels for location over prestige, since venues and showrooms spread across each city - Keep fares changeable; show schedules and appointments shift until the final week - Treat garment bags and samples as luggage that cannot be lost ## Which trade shows and market weeks matter for retail travel? Beyond the runways, trade shows drive much of the industry’s travel. MAGIC in Las Vegas draws apparel and accessories buyers each February, Première Vision in Paris is a key fabric and materials fair for designers, and NRF’s Big Show fills New York each January for retail operations and technology. Market weeks in New York and Los Angeles add regular buying trips. For each one, decide early who’s going, reserve rooms on cancellable rates, and build appointments into the same trip. ## How should teams handle sourcing trips and samples? Sourcing trips go where things are made: silk around Como and wool around Biella in northern Italy, leather and footwear in Tuscany and northern Portugal, denim and knitwear in Turkey, and factories across India, Vietnam and China. Many need business visas and long ground transfers between production towns. Samples and prototypes are valuable and often irreplaceable. Carry critical pieces in the cabin, keep invoices for anything bought abroad, declare purchases on return, and consider an ATA Carnet for commercial samples shown in several countries. ## How does Empyrean approach fashion and retail travel? By planning the season, not the trip. Empyrean can map the show calendar a year out, secure hotels early in the right neighborhoods, route multi-city circuits, and handle sourcing trips with visas and ground transport sorted in advance. At Virtuoso partner hotels in cities such as Paris, Milan and London, stays booked through an advisor typically come with daily breakfast, a property credit and an upgrade when available, which adds up over weeks on the road. ## Typical fashion and retail trips - **Fashion week circuit** (New York, London, Milan, Paris): One itinerary covering four cities, booked as soon as the official calendars are published. — https://emptvl.vercel.app/business-travel/milan - **Men’s shows** (January and June): Florence for Pitti Uomo, then the men’s weeks in Milan and Paris. — https://emptvl.vercel.app/business-travel/paris - **Trade shows** (MAGIC, Première Vision, NRF): Rooms locked early, booth staff on changeable fares and sample shipping planned. — https://emptvl.vercel.app/corporate-travel/meetings-and-events-travel - **Sourcing trips** (Mills and factories): Visas, long ground transfers between production towns and safe handling of samples. — https://emptvl.vercel.app/corporate-travel/international-business-travel - **Store visits** (Retail operations): Multi-city circuits for regional managers and visual teams, routed to avoid backtracking. ## Frequently asked questions **Q: When are the major fashion weeks?** A: The womenswear circuit runs twice a year, in February and September: New York first, then London, Milan and Paris, with Paris often ending in early March or early October. Men’s collections show in January and June. Exact dates are set by each city’s organizing body, so confirm the official calendars before booking flights or hotels. **Q: How early should we book hotels for Paris or Milan fashion week?** A: As soon as you know you’re attending, ideally right after the previous season ends. Hotels near show venues and showrooms fill early and rates climb as dates approach. Book cancellable rates, then confirm once the official schedule and your appointments are set. Staying slightly outside the busiest neighborhoods can save money when transport to venues is easy. **Q: Can we take garment samples abroad without paying duty?** A: Often, with an ATA Carnet, which lets commercial samples enter participating countries temporarily without duties, provided they leave again. Without one, customs may charge duty or require a bond. Keep an itemized list with values, carry critical pieces in the cabin and allow extra time at customs. In the US, carnets are issued through USCIB. **Q: What’s the best way to travel between European fashion weeks?** A: Usually a mix of short flights and rail. Eurostar connects central London and central Paris directly, while London to Milan and Milan to Paris are generally faster by air. Book one-way tickets or a multi-city itinerary, keep fares changeable, and avoid tight same-day connections between a show and a flight. ## Sources - [CFDA (New York Fashion Week calendar)](https://cfda.com) - [British Fashion Council](https://www.britishfashioncouncil.co.uk) - [Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana](https://www.cameramoda.it) - [Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode](https://fhcm.paris)