To put on a great fashion show, you need proper planning, enthusiastic promotion, and successful execution. We have put together some helpful hints from what we have learned through our past experiences of putting on fashion shows and collaborating with some of the best venues, models, clothing companies, and DJs in San Diego.
A GREAT VENUE: Choosing a venue can be the most difficult choice for throwing a successful fashion show. Obviously, several factors can go into picking a good venue, such as location, price, and availability. Aside from the obvious factors, look for venues that have a lot of open space - a runway and dance floor are two qualities of a good place for a fashion show. The last thing you want is a small crowded space that makes it difficult for your guests to view the show. If they do not have a runway, you can look into renting one for cheap from local party rental companies. Ensure that the venue will work well with large groups. For example, Stingaree in downtown San Diego was very accommodating to our large group by offering everyone on our guest list free cover and great drink specials.
Picture at Fluxx Night Club in San Diego.
COLLABORATING WITH OTHERS: The best way to cut costs and promote your event is by collaborating with other companies to take part in the fun. Whenever you have a large event and a lot of people are involved, there is a good chance that companies will be looking to help and share costs to get the exposure. We hooked up with Revolt In-style Magazine to cover the fashion show and do a two-page spread; Cali Party Bus provided the transportation which made it a true VIP experience; 4th Estate did all of our Video and Photography; Hip Hair in Pacific Beach did all of our models hair and make-up (which looked amazing); DJ TILL of Starry Eyed Music provided the hottest tracks and kept people dancing. In the end, it was a team effort from all the parties involved that made the night such a memorable experience.
Picture features Alina Mackinson, owner of Hip Hair in Pacific Beach.
DOCUMENTING THE EVENT: A fashion show can serve as a great opportunity to get content for future promotions and marketing material. It is important that you have pictures and video so that your one night can reach a much larger audience than just the people that were able to attend. We worked with 4th Estate Productions who gave us all the footage to put up on our Facebook and website, we used the pictures for our clothing ads, and our fashion show videos are on YouTube with hundreds of views. This gives us credibility when we go to stores and show them the recent things that we have been doing to promote our line. I would say that investing in getting professionals to come out and document your show is as important as putting the show on itself.
Picture features 4th Estate Production in action.
CLOTHES: Presentation is everything when showing your line at a Fashion Show. Every clothing owner has their favorite pieces, but it's important to have good variety throughout the show from start to finish. If you are going to be repeating the same design in different colors, then try staggering them with other designs so people do not get tired of seeing the same thing over and over. Although it is great to have a lot of pieces in a show, you do not want to repeat everything in every color because people will get bored. One thing that worked great for us was teaming up with EC Star, a girl's fashion line; they brought in several dresses and skirts that added a completely different look to the show and appealed to female audience who were pleasantly surprised to see more than just t-shirts!
Picture features EC Star Clothing newest dress!
SPICE UP THE NIGHT: Aside from the show, we have found that providing additional entertainment can go a long way when putting on a event. Whether it be a special host, go-go dancers, a live performer, dance act, or live artist, there are several options that will add a little spice to a great night. For example, we invited The Platt Brothers (voted Best Live Comedy in San Diego) to perform in our first show who came and did a dance performance wearing all of our Consuul Gear. When getting feedback about the event, people said that they were the biggest hit!
Picture Features The Platt Brothers live performance at Consuul Fashion Show.
MUSIC - Music has an amazing power over our minds and bodies and it can even evoke emotions within us. Also, it can really make or break the mood at an event, especially in a nightclub environment. Think about what your clothing represents and find a genre of music that would seem fitting for your show. You may even want to have different music for different pieces. When we did our Consuul Fashion Show with other clothing companies, DJ TILL worked with each one to choose the right music to identify with their clothing. From hip-hop to rock, and electro to house, each style of music helped brand the clothing, set the tone for the evening, and keep things interesting.
Picture features DJ Till - Starry Eyed Music and Consuul Printing and Design
ORGANIZATION- This will help you save time and money when putting on the event and will show the people that come to your event what type of work ethic you have. The last thing you want is to invite your entire network of professional colleagues, friends, and family and have a disorganized mess that drags on or ends anticlimactically. A fashion show should be planned at least a month ahead of time to book the venue, get other companies involved, and spread the word to the models and people that will be attending. On the night of, it is important to put together an itinerary so that the people involved can see the timing of everything. No one person can do everything! For example, we had people in charge of running the buses, setting-up decor, getting the models ready, and prepared for clean-up. This ensures that everything goes according to plan and will lead to the ability of having more successful shows in the future.
ACCESSORIES - Accessories can be surprising in how they can turn an average outfit into something show-stopping. When you throw on a belt, scarf, or funky bracelet, you can turn the same old look into something great. For example, even though our line was comprised of 26 different shirts, we used hats, jackets, shoes, pants, and more so that people could really imagine themselves wearing our stuff on an everyday basis. It also can bring legitimacy to your brand by associating it with the industry's top leading fashion suppliers like New Era Hats, Creative Recreation Shoes, and LRG jackets. Accessories really do work and will bring your show to the next level!
Picture Features matching hat accessories for Tripp Apparel and Consuul Clothing
PROMOTING THE EVENT: It is important to promote the event and get the right people there to ensure that all the hard work that goes into putting on the Fashion Show pays off. Some ways to do this include posting flyers up at the venue, making a Facebook event, and sending out invitations to local editors and retail store owners. You might want turn to a promotion company that can assist you in putting out the word. We turned to our friends in Starry Eyed Music and Encore Entertainment who have a vast network of party-goers who helped spread the word.
MODELS: Your models can be the biggest seller when it comes to having a fashion show. For many people, they represent the first impression that will be what people remember when they think about your show and clothing. Small things can go a long way, such as having professional hair and makeup, ensuring that the clothes fit before hand, and having entertaining models go a long way. For our shows, we encourage the models to do something fun at the end of the runway. For example, we had our models blow kisses, dance, or use props when they went down the runway. It kept the crowd's attention and they were always excited to see what was going to happen next!
Picture features Bill Brogden..Consuul's Top Model and Entertainer
Our Fashion shows have been some very memorable experiences recently because they were so much fun. Aside from the great memories, they have served as a great way to increase web traffic, spread awareness, and increase sales and exposure in the fashion world. We hope that these tips help you in planning your next fashion show and wish you the best of luck. Please feel free to contact us if you are looking for extra support or looking to collaborate with someone on your next event!
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