Recently a fashion professor was discussing New York Fashion Week and all of the major shows that people were watching. As he scrolled through Women’s Wear Daily, he noticed that one particular article was about which big stars were at the Michael Kors show. This catapulted the class into a discussion about how fashion shows have evolved over the years. In his experience in the industry, the professor had seen runway shows evolve from tiny showrooms where only the most important business people, investors, buyers and maybe a few press were allowed, to these grand productions where hundreds of people can watch.
Everyone from actors, musicians, social media influencers and bloggers are integrated into Fashion Week. Fashion weeks are now much more complex than the actual fashion and the designers. There is still a main focus on the fashion of course — those who really can appreciate design hone in on the collection. It’s just as much about who’s at your show and which models are walking in it. The media always analyzes who sits front row at a designer’s show. Are they elite enough? What are they known for? Is that a good look? These are some of the trivial questions that outlets prey upon. Celebrities sitting front row are sometimes talked about more than the show itself. It can be a bit disheartening for a lot of designers for their work to be overshadowed by someone else’s presence.
The landscape for runway has changed completely. Some designers aren’t using industry models, but sourcing models from untraditional industries. For instance, Virgil Abloh’s first Louis Vuitton men’s collection featured professional models, but also artists such as Kid Cudi, Playboi Carti and Steve Lacy. This was a major distinction for his show, which ultimately sparked a huge conversation around someone who’s been on the rise for the past few years. Who was sitting front row at his show? Obviously, Kanye West and the entire Kardashian family. Granted, it was probably courtesy on Abloh’s part, but in a way, it still matters. Even this past week, Salem Mitchell, a fairly new model sat front row at Tom Ford, Pyer Moss and 3.1 Philip Lim. The last show she sat alongside singer/songwriter Khalid.
Public relations has become a major part of Fashion Week now. More and more people who have nothing to do with the fashion industry are using it as a marketing tool for their own brands and image. Fashion week has transformed from being strictly about fashion and a showcase of designers to focusing on who’s who at the shows. I’m sure we’ve all seen some of our favorite bloggers or singers attending Fashion Week.
It seems normal to us now that if you’re in the spotlight in any form, chances are you’ll be at a few shows, when just a couple of years ago you couldn’t pay to get in. Now more than ever, it’s not about who you know or what you know, but who and how relevant you are.
