A fashion capital is a location which is influential in fashion and in which fashion is important. A fashion capital would be the home of many top designers, modeling agencies, and the like. Traditionally, the four major fashion capitals are Paris, London, Milan and New York. Especially in recent years, however, the importance of the fashion industry has grown in other cities globally, and other cities, such as Tokyo, are sometimes included in the list.

Other top fashion capitals include Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Rome, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, and Sydney. The Global Language Monitor's annual list of the Top Fashion Cities ranked by media exposure; the 2008 ranking, (in bracket the 2007 rank), and commentary follow.

1(1) New York - Number one for the fifth year running.
2(2) Rome - The Eternal City, again, a strong Number two.
3(3) Paris - Perhaps No. 1 in the world’s hearts and mind - but not the media’s.
4(5) Milan - Overtakes London in this survey.
5(4) London - The Elite Five far outdistance the rest.
6(6) Los Angeles - LA knocks on the door of the Elite Five.
7(12) Sydney - Sydney makes a huge move, breaking into the Top 10.
8(9) Las Vegas - The intense media spotlight improves Vegas’ ranking.
9(11) Berlin - Berlin continues its very strong presence.
10(6) Tokyo - Tokyo remains the capital of the Asian Fashion Industry.
11(8) Hong Kong - Threatening to move ahead of Tokyo.
12(24) Dubai - Massive marketing fueled by petrodollars can make an impact.
13(14) Shanghai - Vies with Hong Kong for the lead in China.
14(10) Singapore - Significant fashion infrastructure keeps its ranking strong.
15(-) Madrid - Reasserts the Iberian fashion lead over Barcelona.
16(16) Moscow - Firmly ensconces itself in the Top Twenty.
17(19) Santiago - Leads Latin America.
18(15) Melbourne - Take a second seat to a high-flying Sydney.
19(-) Stockholm - First Scandinavian on the list.
20(22) Buenos Aires - Traditional leader in fashion continues to move up the rankings.
21(23) Johannesburg - Joburg improves two spots.
22(18) Mumbai - Mumbai again leads the Subcontinent.
23(-) Cape Town - Joburg's rival is new to the list.
24(-) New Delhi - New Delhi makes the List, but still is outpaced by Bollywood.
25(13) Barcelona - Still in the Top Twenty-five though Madrid has strong lead.
26(-) Miami - Makes the list on its leadership in swimwear.
27(25) Krakow - Shares the neo-Bohemian spotlight with Prague.
28(-) Prague - No neo about this rising center of fashion.
29(-) Toronto - First Canadian city on the list; Montreal just missed the rankings.
30(20) Rio de Janeiro - Strong Latin American No. 3 outpacing Sao Paolo.

Others in the rankings included Casablanca, Copenhagen, Montreal, Sao Paolo, and Bangkok

Labels: Fashion Capitals