Are fashion shows worth it? a marketer’s take
Model Salome Chaboki, dress designer Encci for Vivien Sophie’s Paris Fashion Week Show. Stylist Joshua Pasquale
Let me take off my styling hat for a second and show you my marketer’s hat. Read below to find out how to make fashion shows give you the return on investment your fashion brand needs.
I love fashion shows. They’re my introduction to the fashion world. I remember sitting at the front row of my first fashion show at Fashion Art Toronto in November 2022. I was happy to be there, seeing the creative collections of Canadian designers and being around other main characters like me. Little did I know that in one year, I’d be working as a fashion show stylist and model in Paris, getting our designers, models, and my styling work featured in the likes of Vogue, Elle, and Glamour.
So, when designers ask me if fashion shows are worth it, my natural bias is to always say yes! How can they not be worth it? They are the most glamorous and sparkly marketing events one can do. They immortalize your designs in the revered pages of publications forever.
But... they come at a cost. On average, a fashion show at New York Fashion Week can cost $400,000 (gulp). Bankruptcy is never in style. But I’m not just a stylist; I also have 5+ years of marketing experience. I know a thing or two about creating marketing roadmaps and return on investment. If you play your cards right, with the right fashion shows, you can not only get shiny publication logos for your website but also cement your career in fashion.
Fashion Shows are Marketing Events
I find that designers and fashion artists who don’t have a background in business and marketing tend to see the trees for the forest. It’s important to take a step back and realize that yes, fashion shows are expensive, time-consuming, and hard work. You might also not see instant results from them.
I remember when I came back from Paris Fashion Week, and the shock of not having any results hit me hard. I spent my entire summer daily working on the show to ensure its success. And it was successful, but the fruits of your labours take time to bloom and ripen. Indeed, it took a month for me to see results like getting a positive review from NYU News and features in the big publications like we hoped for. It feels fantastic to finally get these accolades, but even then it might not lead to instant sales.
Awareness
In marketing, there’s a system we use called marketing funnels. I was taught to start at the top of the funnel or the awareness phase. This awareness phase is to bring further exposure and visibility to your brand, especially in an often oversaturated market like fashion. It's not an easy feat to do a fashion show, but it lifts your brand up above the many heads and gives it a spotlight.
When you put a down payment on your fashion show, the event producers are the ones who are going to help with this awareness. They are going to invite key journalists and influencers to help build your brand visibility. They are also going to scout the location, models, and backstage support to help your show succeed. Steps you can take to increase brand awareness with fashion shows are:
Invite influencers to watch your show or even model.
Invite an audience that will connect with your brand.
Have a social media strategy in place to raise interest about the show months before.
Begin media training and your talking points about your brand.
Create runway moments that are authentic and impactful.
Feature accessories or brands from bigger names willing to donate to smaller brands.
Create a stunning, unique, heartfelt, impactful, meaningful, or genuine collection.
What you do with your awareness phase then turns into consideration.
Consideration
I always tell clients when they want to do fashion shows that the real show begins after. My goal is always to have a fashion show that reveals the brand’s ethos and craft. At the same time, I know so many designers who do a great show, only to have it fizzle.
This is because the show does not end when you take your designer bow. No, it’s just beginning. When I was in Paris, I made sure to also network and go to different events like the Tranoi Show. There I would meet the Editor in Chief, Elena Horvath, of Fashion Magazine 24. Us cordially meeting each other over wine and fashion in Paris would then turn into my first international feature of me and each of the artists involved in the show. If I only focused on the show, I wouldn’t have met this editor in chief. That feature would then lead to increased publicity for the show, getting more interest from journalists I was contacting with press releases.
Fashion shows are amazing networking events. You meet people from all over the world who want to find people like you. Designers want to find stylists, stylists want to find celebrities, celebrities want to find journalists, and journalists want to find amazing fashion created by designers. That’s why fashion shows are still so important. You don’t get the same level of networking from online events or shows. It’s when they see you in person, and they see your passion and your talent for fashion come to life, then the business cards start flying.
It just takes one yes for your career to take flight. All of these yesses in my life have only happened at fashion shows.
Conversion
So, you just did a successful fashion show, showcasing your beautiful collection on stunning and fierce models who were styled to the nines. You networked and have no business cards left, and you’re proud to say your social media following is starting to rise to numbers you could have never imagined. When do you get paid?
In funnel marketing, when you increase both your brand awareness and your audience consideration, there’s a bigger chance for conversions to happen. Which means moolah in your bank account. However, even this step needs to be considered carefully to give your interested buyer clear instructions of what you’re selling.
Haute Couture shows are not there for the garments to be sold. They are like luxury car showcases, showing the mastery of the artist and the depths wearable art can take us. But too many designers use Haute Couture shows as a basis for what their show should look like. If your primary objective is to make headlines, get photos published, and get further brand awareness, then yes, go for the crazy and big abstract designs. Make them polished, and make them fierce. But don’t expect average social media users to buy such a big product from a young brand.
It’s important to balance your ambitious fashion moments with accessible and ready-to-wear. It’s why when you look at the Haute Couture shows of Chanel, Dior, and Schiaparelli, they’re not looking to sell; they’re looking to increase brand awareness. So that when Jane from Germany who just got a bonus at her job looks at the Schiaparelli website to see the latest couture collection, she can still buy something a bit more affordable(well not that affordable but you get my gist).
HINT: HAVE AN ACCESSIBLE COLLECTION READY TO BE SOLD AFTER YOUR FASHION SHOW!!!
Take ambitious designs you’ve done in your collection and apply those elements to outfits everyday fashion enthusiasts will buy. Then when your show starts to really pop afterward, your audience can be directed to something they can afford to purchase.
Think about it like this: you have a crazy couture dress made out of purses. This dress is beautiful and received praise on and off the runway. The dress is being sold at around $6000. You notice no one is buying it even though it just made Vogue Italia. So instead, for your next show, you still show the big ornate purse dress, but you make sure to sell a simplified version of that dress for $1500. Then bam, 5 orders of that dress are placed, giving you sales of $7500, $1500 more than if you only tried to sell the couture gown.
See what I’m saying? Do not get stuck in this idea that everything you show on a runway needs to be sold. Instead, look at the strategy you’re planning with the show. Then prepare your inventory or your services to meet it.
How can Stylists Bring you Return on Investment (ROI)
Hiring a stylist while also paying for your spot at a fashion show may seem like another ding to your bank account. Nevertheless, a trusted stylist is more often than not just a well-dressed marketer. I have seen clients get 3x the number of customers in one month with the marketing roadmaps and tactics I’ve given them. I do the same in fashion. Stylists do not only look at creating cohesive and impactful visions on the runway; we also look at what this runway's return on investment is.
As a designer, you already have enough on your plate getting your stitches correct and your hems in line. Bringing a stylist who understands your brand vision and marketing involved can mean that your return on investment from the show exceeds expectations. When I work with designers on their fashion shows, I always put their collections first, but I also always consider what these images are going to do for their future.
