Five Fashion Cities to Visit in 2020

Five Fashion Cities to Visit in 2020



If
you thought that cities such as Paris,
New
York
,
Milan
and London
had a monopoly on fashion, think again. These design-forward
destinations are drawing a creative crowd and redefining our
wardrobes.

The world’s best emerging fashion destinations


1.

Lagos, Nigeria

Over the last few years, designers Duro Olowu and Maki Oh (among
others) have become increasing fixtures on red carpet round-ups.
Their common link? Lagos. Last year marked a turning point in the
Nigerian capital’s fashion history, with Naomi Campbell storming
the catwalk at Arise Fashion Week to a front-row of international
press followed by Homecoming festival, a three-day fashion and art
extravaganza headlined by Skepta. Those with a good eye and a deft
hand for design should spend an afternoon sifting through the reams
of traditional batik-print fabrics sold at Tejuosho Market. To shop
for homegrown Nigerian designers, head to Temple Muse, a lifestyle
concept store.

TO STAY: Bogobiri House


2.

Seoul, South Korea

Seoul, South Korea Our obsession with Seoul started with Psy’s
Gangnam style in 2012, and hasn’t let up since. The teenies were
the decade that Korea’s popstars, skincare routines and culinary
exports colonised the western world. For the fashion-conscious,
South Korea’s capital city is a must-visit. Those with heavy purses
are spoilt for choice, with most of the 30,000 shops found in the
Dongdaemun Market commercial district, open 24 hours. Itaewon is
the go-to for vintage goods, while Bangbae-dong is rich in niche
speciality shops such as Rm360, a favourite record shop of DJ Peggy
Gou.

TO STAY: Hotel Cappuccino


3.

Antwerp, Belgium

The Antwerp Six designers – a set which includes Dries Van
Noten, Ann Demeulemeester and Walter Van Beirendonck – might have
graduated from the city’s now famous Royal Academy of Fine Arts in
the 80s but their legacy of enduring cool remains. Fans of the
Antwerp Alumnus Raf Simons should scope out Vincent Van Duysen’s
post-industrial buildings and Kanaal by Axel Vervoordt, a buzzing
cultural centre which took 18 years to build. Take cues from the
city’s style mavens by people-watching at Kolonel Koffie, a
neighbourhood favourite café, before hitting up MoMu, Antwerp’s
dedicated fashion museum – its Textile as Resistance exhibition
closes on 16 February.

TO STAY:
August


4.

Arles, France

It’s not about big business and flashy labels in Arles; this is
a city which whispers its style credentials. The Frank
Gehry-designed Luma Arles – which supports independent artists
across art, photography, publishing and the like – is set to open
its doors this spring. Alternatively, dust off your trainers and
head for the hills to see just why designer Christian Lacroix calls
this romantic city home, or make for the city’s Roman ruins – Gucci
transformed the cemetery into a fantastical, smoky dreamscape for
their Cruise 2019 show. Savvy travellers will know to visit in
early June, when the annual photography fair, Les Rencontres
d’Arles, takes over the city.

TO STAY: Le Collatéral


5.

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Often overshadowed by its bigger, noisier sibling of
Amsterdam
, Rotterdam is making a case for being the
Netherlands’ most stylish city. The Hoodie, Het Nieuwe Instituut’s
current exhibition curated by Lou Stoppard, considers the humble
garb’s social and political significance from the 30s right up
until the present day. If 80s glamour is more your thing, hit up
Kunsthal Rotterdam where a glittering Thierry Mugler retrospective
awaits. The city’s not short of chic hangouts, either. FG Food Labs
is a cosy, wooden bunker of a restaurant dishing up
Michelin-starred “molecular gastronomy” (nope, us neither). As
night falls, do like a local by grabbing a street-side table at a
bar along Witte de Withstraat.

TO STAY: The James Rotterdam