My third year of New York Fashion Week is officially in the books! This year was fast and furious to say the least since it was smack dab in between two other trips. I had two full days in the city and I tried to make the most of every minute! There were lot’s of meetings, new friends, and rooftops and very little sleep but I wouldn’t change it for the world because I feel so blessed to have these opportunities do be doing what I love! Life motto lately: “You can sleep when you’re dead”.
I only RSVP’d for one fashion show as my focus was more so on brand meetings and connections this year. Sadly, due to rain I didn’t even make the one show I was really looking forward to going to, Nicole Miller. Thankfully I still was able to make it to almost all of my other events and meetings. Some of my favorites this year included the Liketoknow.it party, Lulu’s party, Shopbop party, and OK Magazine party. No, I did not just party my little heart away during fashion week but due to privacy reasons I am not able to disclose several of the brand meetings that I had so that’s why you get a long list of parties instead 😉
DO YOU HAVE TO BE INVITED?
Heck no! My first year that I went, I booked a plane ticket and hotel room and told myself that even if I didn’t get invited, it would be the trip of a lifetime to go to NYC during fashion week. No matter how small you are, if you do the work to pitch brands for fashion events, you will have at least a few events to go to. Even if you just go to meet with other fashion influencers and brands, it is 100% worth it! Getting invited to shows, showrooms, brand meetings, parties, etc are all the same. Most are not going to reach out to you unless you’ve already gone in years past. YOU have to do the work. This means sending out hundreds of emails. Read more about how to get invited to events here. And for the record, my first year that I attended NYFW, I had less than 5k followers and guess what? I still got invited to fashion shows:)
HOW DO YOU GET TO MEET WITH BRANDS?
Fashion week (or honestly any trip to New York) is a great time to reach out to brands and PR companies that you have already worked with in the past. If you’ve never looked at the signature line of brands you’ve been emailing, you should start 🙂 Most are headquartered in NYC! There is nothing like putting a face to a name, especially when these brands work with hundreds if not thousands of other influencers. Anything you an do to make youreself stand out is going to put you ahead in this industry! Before fashion week each year, I will make a point to look through my collaborations over the past year and reach out to some of the brands that I have yet to meet with. I will just shoot them an email letting them know I am in town for fashion week and that I’d love to meet face to face. Some brands I’ve simply gone to their office, others I’ve met for coffee and then some already have scheduled events or showrooms during fashion week and will invite you to those!
HOW DO YOU DRESS THAT FAB ON A BUDGET?
Not going to lie, it’s hard. If you want to go to fashion week and not spend a ton of money on outfits the best ways to look baller on a budget are to rent, borrow or be gifted clothes. This definitely takes some time and effort but can be done several different ways. 1) Reach out to local shops before your trip and ask if they will let you pull some clothes to showcase during fashion week. Most places do this regularly for photoshoots or other events so they should be used to it. Mention you will tag them in all social posts giving them credit and they should be more than happy for the trade of services. 2) Reach out to PR companies or brands in NYC that have showrooms or might want to dress you for the week. Again, many brands do this so asking is not weird at all especially if you’ve worked with them in the past! They will appreciate the exposure opportunity. 3) Many PR brands have gifting suites during fashion week which means FREE CLOTHES. This is where it’s at ladies.
WANTING TO ATTEND NYFW?
Have you thought about going to fashion week but not sure where to start, how to get invited, who to reach out to, etc? The posts below from years past should be helpful when thinking and planning to attend next season! If you have any other questions, I’m more than happy to answer them in the comments below!