Italy's biggest designers are spreading their shows out over seven days at the next Milan Fashion Week to ensure press and buyers stay in the city.

Some of the world's largest and most influential fashion labels including Giorgio Armani and Prada have united to distribute their shows evenly across a full week, meaning the biggest shows aren't condensed into three days and smaller labels will have a chance of being seen.

Armani said: "I am happy that my call for responsibility has been agreed to and I don't think I was the only one hoping for it: the moment had come to reconsider in earnest the issue of the fashion calendar, because a whole industrial system revolves around it."

He added the agreement was reached with the Camera della Moda, Italy's governing fashion body.

He said: "The agreement by the major designers, which protects the emerging ones as well, has been reached with the mediation of Camera della Moda and demonstrates we Italians, if we really want it, are perfectly able to assert ourselves without fear in order to enhance what the world acknowledges to be a rich and inimitable creative heritage."

Prada's chief executive Patrizio Bertelli added: "Milan Fashion Week is an event of fundamental importance.

"Today we have made a significant step forward which goes in the right direction: in fact, it underlines a sense of belonging we have been afraid of losing because of recent controversies."

Vogue editor Anna Wintour caused huge controversy at this year's Fashion Week in March when the show was increased to five days, but she opted to attend only for her originally planned three days, prompting many designers to change their show dates in order to accommodate her.