Sign up now for TIME's WorldWatch email newsletter. Sometimes I think of the fashion industry as a self-sufficient organism. The designer boutiques on 5th Avenue, Avenue Montaigne, Via Monte Napoleone are pretty quiet most of the year.
Most companies admit that they're money-losing flagships, more important for image than profit.
But then comes fashion week. The smart stores in Europe even stay open on Sunday as the world's most dedicated shoppers take to the streets. Fashion editors make the world's best customers. Sure they're busy and they're working, but they already know exactly what they want, exactly how much it costs and exactly where to get it. Now journalists, even fashion journalists, don't make gobs of money.