It’s that time again. The city is busier and more frantic than usual, ridden with beautiful 6-foot models, bloggers, street style photographers, and editors dressed in a fashion that is all but attainable to the average citizen. Yes, today is the beginning of New York Fashion Week. While guests rush from show to Starbucks and on to another show, there are plenty on the outside, longing to get a glimpse.
Attendance is a dream for many, but is actually not as impossible as one would expect, and certainly easier than it was just a few years ago. You may be dreaming of fashion, your mind wrapped up in glossies, blogs and fall campaigns, practicing what you would write at the desk of your dream job as a fashion journalist at Vogue or as a PR girl on the team of your favorite brand. Rest assured, your dreams are not impossible..
Here are five ways to get involved in the world you want to call home.
Don’t think that hopping on WordPress this instant, creating a banner and e-mailing Rodarte tomorrow will get you into the tents. With anything big, you must start small. Starting a blog will help in more than one way. You’ll brush up your fashion writing skills, keep in tune with brands and other bloggers, learn to keep up with trends, and build a following. By the time next fashion week rolls around, you may be able to get yourself into a show. Request invitations from PR firms about three weeks prior to the show. They may be more than happy to add you to the guest list, depending on the show. If you want to enter the PR world, sometimes it helps to be on the journalism side to review the show from the audience. This will help you learn what separates a mediocre show from an extremely buzzed about one.
You may not be ready to commit to a full-time internship due to a heavy class load or hectic work schedule, but don’t exclude yourself from this option just yet. There are a number of fashion PR firms that will ask you to intern for a month, right around fashion week, which will allow you to experience some prep, the actual show itself, and press follow ups. Others may only ask a week of your time. Send resumes to fashion PR firms, along with a cover letter (always!), inquiring about a fashion week internship. Whether you need to seriously crack down on time management for a month or give up only a week of your time, this short opportunity will do more than you may think. This is the busiest time of year for fashion PR agencies, and a short internship will give you a chance to see what truly goes on behind-the-scenes. Of course, if you can intern during the entire semester leading up to the shows, even better! The PR Couture job board is a great place to seek out fashion PR internships.
Send writing samples to your favorite local news publication, blog or online publication and ask if they are interested in fashion week coverage. You can also reach out to non-local media outlets too, and ask if they are accepting extra writers during the shows. There are countless shows during fashion week, and since editors cannot yet clone themselves, help in covering is sometimes welcomed. Start brushing up on your writing, grammar, imagery, and knowledge of trends. Depending on the publication or blog, you may even snag front row!
Designers who are breaking out onto the scene may not have a PR agency or anyone working in house. Reach out and see if they need help in any area. Odds are that they have a small team and will be more than grateful to accept a show volunteer to send invites and press releases or assist with show details.
If you aren’t able to make it to New York City, you can still experience fashion week virtually. Each season there are a wealth of opportunities to watch live shows online, so take advantage. Check out this post from Fashionista for a list of this season’s live-streaming fashion shows. Jump onto Twitter and engage with an international audience experiencing the tents from the couch!
