Fashion Week is almost here. These documentaries take you behind the scenes and into the lives that shaped fashion’s most unforgettable moments.

There is something about Fashion Week that makes you want to completely immerse yourself in the fashion world. Watching the shows is one thing, but the best documentaries reveal everything that happens before the models step onto the runway. They show us the fittings, late nights and larger-than-life personalities behind the finished collections. They also remind us that fashion is about much more than beautiful pieces. It is shaped by ambition, identity, culture, craftsmanship and, sometimes, controversy. Whether you are looking for ’90s supermodel nostalgia or a closer look at how couture comes together, consider this your essential pre-Fashion Week watchlist.

Catwalk (1995)

Before backstage became content and models narrated their lives directly to millions of followers, there was Catwalk. Robert Leacock’s delightfully unpolished documentary follows Christy Turlington through the Spring Fashion Week circuit in Milan, Paris and New York, with Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Helena Christensen and Carla Bruni moving in and out of frame. There are no carefully rehearsed interviews or dramatic explanations, just a camera quietly observing the fittings, flights, hotel rooms, runway shows and constant attention that come with the job. Watching it now feels like opening a perfectly preserved time capsule from the height of the supermodel era, complete with unforgettable clothes, candid backstage moments and Turlington at her most effortlessly cool.

The September Issue (2009)

Long before every office had a behind-the-scenes social media account, director R.J. Cutler was given access to Vogue as its team created the magazine’s famously important September issue. Anna Wintour may be the person everyone expects to watch, but creative director Grace Coddington quickly becomes the heart of the film. Her love of narrative, emotion and beautiful imagery often clashes with Wintour’s sharp editorial instincts, creating a fascinating look at what happens when two very different creative minds are working toward the same goal. The film is filled with gorgeous editorials and major fashion personalities, but its real appeal lies in the meetings, disagreements and tiny decisions behind every seemingly effortless page.

Dior and I (2014)

When Raf Simons became the artistic director of Dior, he had only eight weeks to create his first haute couture collection for the house. Dior and I follows the entire process, from the earliest ideas and fabric experiments to the breathtaking flower-filled runway presentation. While Simons is at the center of the story, the atelier workers are the film’s quiet stars. They interpret sketches, solve last-minute problems and bring each design to life with remarkable skill, patience and emotion. The documentary offers an intimate view of the craft behind couture while capturing the pressure and mild panic that come with creating something extraordinary on a nearly impossible deadline.

The First Monday in May (2016)

The First Monday in May goes behind the scenes of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2015 exhibition, China: Through the Looking Glass, and the Met Gala held to celebrate its opening. Director Andrew Rossi follows curator Andrew Bolton and Vogue’s Anna Wintour as they spend months balancing museum scholarship, fashion, celebrity, cultural history and an extremely complicated seating chart. The film delivers all the glamour you would expect, but it is equally interested in the serious work behind the spectacle and the question of whether fashion should be treated as art. By the time Rihanna arrives in her unforgettable yellow Guo Pei gown, it is difficult to imagine anyone still needing convincing.

Franca: Chaos and Creation (2016)

Directed by Francesco Carrozzini, Franca: Chaos and Creation is an intimate portrait of his mother, Franca Sozzani, who led Vogue Italia for nearly three decades. Sozzani was known for creating bold and sometimes controversial editorials that explored subjects far beyond clothing and seasonal trends, turning the magazine into a space for experimentation and cultural conversation. The documentary looks closely at her creative instincts and enormous influence, but its most touching moments come from the conversations between mother and son. Carrozzini wants to understand the woman behind the editor, while Sozzani often seems more comfortable communicating through photographs than talking about herself. The result is both a celebration of daring fashion imagery and a surprisingly personal family story.

McQueen (2018)

Alexander McQueen’s life and work were dramatic, emotional and nearly impossible to separate. Directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, McQueen tells his story through five defining runway shows, supported by rare archival footage and interviews with family members, friends and collaborators. The film traces his rise from London’s East End to the highest levels of Paris fashion without losing sight of the person behind the legend. It is beautiful and inspiring, but also deeply sad, showing how McQueen transformed his fears, obsessions and private emotions into some of the most powerful runway moments fashion has ever seen. More than a straightforward biography, it is a moving portrait of a designer who understood that a fashion show could be theatre, autobiography, protest and fantasy all at once.

Martin Margiela: In His Own Words (2020)

Martin Margiela spent most of his career avoiding the spotlight. He rarely appeared in public, declined traditional interviews and never made his face part of his brand. Reiner Holzemer’s documentary respects that choice, allowing us to hear Margiela’s voice and see his hands, drawings, notes and treasured objects while keeping his face hidden. Margiela talks through the ideas behind his deconstructed clothing, repurposed materials, iconic Tabi boots and unconventional runway presentations, offering a rare look inside one of fashion’s most original minds. In an industry filled with celebrity designers and carefully managed personal brands, his decision to remain anonymous still feels refreshingly radical, and the film manages to feel wonderfully personal without taking away his mystery.

High & Low: John Galliano (2023)

John Galliano created some of the most theatrical and imaginative runway shows in modern fashion, but he also experienced one of the industry’s most public falls from grace. Directed by Kevin Macdonald, High & Low traces his rise from Central Saint Martins to Givenchy and Dior, followed by the antisemitic outbursts that brought his time at Dior to an abrupt end. Galliano speaks candidly about his addictions, behavior and efforts to rebuild his life, while former collaborators and famous supporters offer their own perspectives. The documentary does not provide a simple redemption story or tell viewers what to think, which is exactly what makes it so compelling. Instead, it opens a difficult but necessary conversation about talent, accountability and fashion’s long habit of romanticizing the troubled genius.

The Super Models (2023)

Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington revisit their lives and careers in this four-part series directed by Roger Ross Williams and Larissa Bills. The archival footage alone is worth watching, with iconic runway walks, magazine covers and photographs capturing the energy of the late 1980s and ’90s. Still, the series is about much more than nostalgia. It shows how these four women became famous enough to shift the balance of power between models and the brands that hired them, turning their first names into global trademarks. Their personal stories bring warmth, humor and perspective to an era often remembered only for its glamour, while offering enough ’90s fashion inspiration to fill an entire mood board.

Invisible Beauty (2023)

Bethann Hardison has worked as a model, modeling agent and activist, but even those titles do not fully capture her influence. Co-directed by Hardison and Frédéric Tcheng, Invisible Beauty looks back at her remarkable career and her decades-long push for greater representation in fashion. The film provides essential context for the diversity seen on some runways today, making it clear that progress did not simply happen on its own. Hardison and others had to challenge the industry, speak up when it was uncomfortable and continue applying pressure whenever fashion began slipping backward. Her story is inspiring, accessible and deeply relevant, serving as both a celebration of what has changed and a reminder that visibility can never be taken for granted.

The Must-Watch Documentaries to Get You Ready for Fashion Week