Paying to Play

In class we learned about how ridiculouly expensive it is to put on a fashion show.  After all, there is a lot that goes into them, from designing the clothes and getting the samples ready for viewing, hiring models, hiring and consulting with the hair and makeup artists, arranging for show space, designing the set, determining the music, and hiring the crews to set up and take down the runway and chairs...just to list a few.  


So is the cost and trouble worth it?


Yes.


The whole purpose of Fashion Week is for designers to showcase their latest merchandise, so that guests like large retailers and big couture clients (usually celebrities or socialites) have a chance to check out the latest designs and to place orders.  Fashion shows during Fashion Week are covered heavily by the press, which rapidly gets a designer's brand onto the forefront of frivolous fashion lover's minds.  With the right guests, designers can earn the business of major fashon-forward retailers ($$$), and can also have the chance to sell a design to a big name with a lot of fans. 


All in all, fashion shows get the word out.  Good review or bad review, at least people are talking about you.

 

One example of a celebrity rocking a design from the runway:  Leighton Meeter in a Michael Kors dress from his Pre-Fall 2011 Collection  (at the premiere of her movie, The Roommate)