I have been going to fashion week for 5 years now, so I can say I know a thing or two about it. What you need to keep in mind is that fashion week is a time where you can connect, be extroverted, and have fun. It can be very tiring because you will be going from one show to another, and the shows might be far from each other. Trust me, I learned from my mistakes so that you don’t have to. Below, I’m sharing a few steps to prepare you for fashion week and how to curate your invite without feeling overwhelmed. Bookmark and share this post for fashion week tips, specifically NYFW!

                What to expect in NYFW

Apart from what you know about fashion week being a runway show, did you know that there’s so many different types of New York fashion week shows? Let’s dive into it. You know runway shows, there’s presentations, launching, pre-parties, after parties, and panels. What’s the difference, you say?

The runway show is a showcase of a designer’s collections, which usually take under 20 minutes. Yes, if you blink you miss the whole show, so don’t get stuck in traffic. In some cases, there a combination show, where many designers will showcase their collections one by one at one; those usually take longer. In general, you should always leave two hours early max for each show. Why? Because it takes longer to get in since there’s always going to be a lot of people, and after everyone is in it takes another 30 minutes for the media to set up and attendees to get settled before the show starts.

Presentations can take many forms, but will not be a runway show (meaning no model is walking down the walkway in the collection). However, some presentations do includes models that wear the outfits for the attendees to see and take pictures, but most presentations don’t have models. They will present the collection on mannequins, posters, movies, etc., which brings us to gallery events. This is the type of event that falls under the presentations category, but it’s different because in a gallery there is always a photo booth and another brand’s refreshments or snacks collaboration with the gallery. I consider these combo events my favorite because you get to create content and have refreshments and snacks (even better if they have bars that make drinks).

Launching events are usually exclusive and can be hard to get into, but they’re worth it because you get to meet people who do the same thing as you or something similar. Launching events have to go out to a specific niche group, which is why it’s so exclusive. You’re guaranteed to expect a drinks snacks services, as well. 

A panel is pretty simple and you can get into it if you know someone. A panel is a discussion with the designers, celebrities, influencers, and those who are making waves in the industries. This is an opportunity to get close and personal to them and ask them questions.

The pre-party and after parties are extra exclusive, meaning if you get invited to the show you may not get invited to the parties. Talk about exclusive events…this is it. You have to know to know that all shows always have an after party. The high-end ones always start with pre-party.

              How to get invited to a show

Agency, agency, connection. Repeat after me, making and keeping connections has a lot to do with getting invited. Don’t get discouraged if your connections change every year, which is the worst part because you find yourself trying to keep up.

Agency for your connections 

• Purple PR
• Riviere Agency
• Flying Solo
• Very New York
• KCD Worldwide

Free app that can help you request to be invited.

• GPS Radar

Now that you have an idea of how to be invited to fashion week, it’s time for the million dollar question: How do I get my email opened and answered? Oh, well as your favorite girlfriend that gives you all the pre-game deets, here is the format to use for your email. With this format, you provide all the information they need to answer thr questions they’ll have.

First paragraph: Introduce yourself and explain what you do. (Focus more on your related fashion content and include your page link.)

Second paragraph: Your location, your audience, and age (suggest that they follow you for fashion content).

Third paragraph: Explain that you will be attending fashion week and you would love to attend their show (mention the specific show name, e.g. the Chanel runway show).

Fourth paragraph: Include some of your work links (2 link minimum and 4 maximum).

Looking forward to your response.

Signed,

(Your name)

Guaranteed success — and now it’s time for you to plan your shows. Remember, saying yes to what you can’t attend will disqualify you for another event. Be smart and leave 2 hours between each shows to get to the next show’s location. 

Most importantly, eat before leaving your house and always wear comfortable shoe. Yes, fashion week is beautiful chaos.

I hope this post was helpful for all those looking to attend fashion week! You can follow and subscribe to our podcasts and YouTube as well as Instagram to stay up to date on which shows we are attending this season.

XX,

Adeola