As summer draws to a close, offices and design studios from Paris to Milan have turned off vacation messages. After weeks of investors and dealmakers dominating the spotlight, now it’s the red carpet and runway.

The Venice Film Festival opens on August 31st. With schedules jam-packed with filmmakers hoping to kick off their Oscar campaigns, red carpet fashion is a proven way to build early hype. The modern standard was set by Lady Gaga in his 2018 dramatic appearance on a speedboat wearing Jonathan’s Simkai bustier to promote “A Star Is Born.” But the dress was an important turning point for the Italian luxury brand). If there’s a movie to stage a major moment this year, it’s Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All, starring fashion icons Timothée Chalamet and Chloe Sevigny.

Rakuten Fashion Week returns to Phygital. The main event for the Japanese fashion industry starts on August 29th and runs through September 3rd in Tokyo. For the second season in a row, the schedule includes physical shows (27) and digital shows (22) in roughly a 50/50 ratio, suggesting Japan’s more cautious approach to managing the novel coronavirus. (although Japan still restricts the movement of foreign tourists, although they do travel). Rules are looser and most national pandemic restrictions have been lifted.) Tokyo fashion weeks have never consistently attracted global audiences, and instead top Japanese designers often put on shows in Paris (the just-announced Paris Fashion Week schedule states that undercover , the return of full Japanese attendees for the first time since the pandemic, including Junya Watanabe, Noir Kei Ninomiya and Issey Miyake (the brand’s first show since the designer’s death earlier this month).

Serena Williams Grand Finale. The US Open tennis tournament kicks off on August 29th. The link between tennis and fashion goes back nearly a century before him, but in recent years the relationship has deepened as the star has become bolder on the court and more entrepreneurial off the court.A pioneer on both counts, Serena Williams has clearly chosen trend to announce her retirement, not the sports press. If she makes it to the final, she will face 2020 champion Naomi Osaka, who has collaborated with brands such as Levi’s and Louis Vuitton. Men’s Roger Federer, a fashion mogul thanks to his stake in On and a smash-hit deal with Uniqlo, is out of the tournament as he recovers from his knee injury. . Like Williams, he too is nearing his retirement, cementing his place in the fashion world whether or not he picks up the racket again.

Highlights of the week

Sunday

MTV’s Video Music Awards air at 8pm ET

Monday

US Open Tennis Tournament Begins

Rakuten Fashion Week opens in Tokyo. It will run until September 3rd.

Wednesday

The Venice International Film Festival runs until September 10th.

Michelle Bachelet’s term ends her tenure as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. She said she hopes to release her long-delayed report on China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities by today.

Eurozone inflation data for August released

Thursday

Kate Moss’ wellness brand “Cosmos” is born.

lululemon reports quarterly results

Friday

Freeze Seoul, the organization’s first art fair in Asia, launches alongside the Kiaf Seoul Contemporary Art Exhibition.

US unemployment data for August released

The Week Ahead would love to hear from you! Send us tips, suggestions, complaints and compliments brian.baskin@businessoffashion.com.

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