How does the new in fashion come into the world? Alicia Kühl demonstrates that the new is no longer asserted in fashion design, but rather in fashion show design. In her theoretically grounded work, which also incorporates theories of the performative, space, atmospheres, and the new, she examines fashion shows of selected haute couture and prêt-à-porter designers from the last 30 years and traces how the atmospheres created in them are used as a solution to a vestimentary "invention deadlock." The study for the first time questions the function and position of the fashion show within the fashion cycle, which also leads to a reassessment of the role of clothing.