While it may be lagging behind the established fashion capitals of London, New York, Milan and Paris, Florence is making a real case for becoming the fifth major city to fall into the category whereby it can justifiably be called a fashion capital.

It has a number of fantastic markets, or Pitti, which international fashion editors and buyers attend and which have been the starting point for many designers routes to fame.

Of all the cities with vibrant fashion scenes Florence is the one pushing the envelope the most, as it strives to become the centre of attention, with 2015 the year when it solidified its reputation as a fashion mecca.

While its reputation up to that point had been built on the fact Florence is home to the likes of Emilio Pucci, Roberto Cavalli, Gucci, Ermanno Scervino, and Salvatore Ferragamo there are also several up and coming designers making a name for themselves in the city.

For example, Aquazzura’s founder and creative director, Edgardo Osorio, recently opened his first stand-alone store in the Palazzo Corsini. When asked why he chose to open up shop in the city Osorio said it was because of the way the Florence makes him feel. “It has an energy like no other fashion capital,” he said. “It’s charming, cosy, beautiful and above all inspiring. There are so many wonderful places to go to and so many unique things to draw inspiration from.”

With Osorio and other young designers possibly set to see their businesses really take off,  there was reason to believe Florence would be high on the fashion consciousness throughout 2015 but there was also another key reason the city was the name on the lips of many fashion lovers.

In April 2015 the city hosted the first Condé Nast International Luxury Conference, which was put together by International Vogue editor Suzy Menkes. Fashion royalty like Karl Lagerfeld, Tory Burch, Roberto Cavalli, Alber Elbaz, Clare Waight Keller and Marigay McKee, as well as SAKS Fifth Avenue and Ralph Lauren representatives attended.

The conference was the biggest fashion event between 2014’s Autumn shows and the 2015 Spring shows, and certainly made headlines. Menkes said she had opted to host the conference in Florence for reasons which make perfect sense to us.

“Florence is such a great example of the past, present, and future,” she said. “We can’t forget how these ancient yet noble Renaissance buildings were once avant-garde of architecture. That means we could hold events in the Palazzo Vecchio and see the enduring nature of true luxury around us – and remember how fleeting the world of fashion can be.”

If you want to see fantastic Florence and check out the Pitti for the latest fashions why not take a look at our accommodation in Florence and book a holiday to the fifth fashion capital of the world today.