How to Organize a Student Fashion Show
Producing a student fashion show provides hands-on experience in styling, event planning, and fundraising. It is certainly a big undertaking, but if you're in a community that has limited fashion opportunities, it is an ideal way to acquire the skills you need to pursue a career in the industry. Staging a fashion show is also a great way to fundraise for charity, and a student production has the potential to raise awareness and mobilize a community of young people to give back. Chloe Dawes and Alex Mortara of The London School of Economics' Fashion Society, Patricia Foody of Fordham University's Fashion for Philanthropy club, and Emerly Soong of Northwestern University's Unity Charity Fashion Show share their top tips.
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1/9It takes commitment and coordination to stage a successful fashion show. Students share their advice on setting a budget, booking a venue, and selecting models and designers.
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Photo: Model Zaily Valoy wearing designer Maggie McGowan at the Fordham Fashion for Philanthropy 2011 Show (courtesy of Michael Hayes)2/9What are the first steps to take in organizing a student fashion show?
Chloe of LSE: "We start organizing five months before our show. More than a sequential logic, organizing the show is a series of steps that need to be taken in parallel. It is important to start looking for designers straight away while developing a concept board, finding a theme for the show, organizing casting, and booking a location. Putting together a strong team to carry out these tasks is definitely the first step."
Patricia of Fordham: "The first step is to choose a theme for the show. This determines the styles of clothing that you hope to have on the runway, as well as other aspects of the show such as the decorations. This year the theme of our show is 'A Twisted Tea Party.' In the beginning of the year, we also decide on our fundraising goal."
Emerly of Northwestern: "Find a group of people who come from different backgrounds and can bring different skills and ideas to the table. Also, have a reason to produce the fashion show beyond loving fashion itself. If a student group is passionate about a certain cause, then focus on raising money for philanthropy in conjunction with producing a great fashion show."
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Photo: Model Renske Stephanie Van Milink wearing Vjera Vilicnik at the LSE Fashion Society's 2012 show (courtesy of Jing Zhu)3/9What are the production costs? How do you raise funds?
Alex of LSE: "As this is a student organized charity fashion show, we aim to use a limited budget. We look for designers who are willing to showcase their collections for free in order to avoid costs, and we are also able to secure hair and make up artists free of charge in exchange for photos for their portfolios. Overall, we spent around 300 pounds (close to $500) on our 2012 show. To cover these costs, we had each member of the LSE Fashion Society make a 2-pound ($3) donation, and used a small part of the revenue from ticket sales. The proceeds from the show totalled to around 600 pounds ($950) for our chosen charity, Afghanaid."
Patricia of Fordham: "We need about $6,000 to produce a show. This covers audio equipment, staging, a backdrop and rental chairs. The club is very fortunate to be able to appeal each year to Fordham for funds, and during the school year we raise additional money through fundraisers. We have many bake sales on campus and also sell candy grahams during the holidays. Last year’s show raised $7,500 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation."
Emerly of Northwestern: "We petition to Northwestern for a specific budget, and then we raise philanthropy proceeds through ticket sales and fundraising events. Last year, we raised $2,700."
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Photo: Model Kiran Nyotta wearing Seraphina at the LSE Fashion Society's 2012 show (courtesy of Jing Zhu)4/9How do you reach out to designers and select clothing for the show?
Alex of LSE: "We have a wardrobe coordination team that sets out to find designers willing to showcase their designs. We find designers by searching online and directly contacting them. We are very keen on helping young up-and-coming designers promote their lines."
Patricia of Fordham: "We receive all of the clothing for the show by reaching out to both designers and stores for donations."
Emerly of Northwestern: "It is a five-month planning process to contact mainstream fashion brands, local boutiques, student designers, and cultural organizations on campus for clothing. The first phase of the process entails committee members traveling to stores and presenting the fashion show event to store managers. Members ask for business cards and then follow up with managers via email one week later. From there, it's all about continuing a strong conversation so that we get official sponsorship confirmation from the brand or designer."
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Photo: Model Nana Brenyah wearing FIT student designer Tessa Perlow at the Fordham Fashion for Philanthropy 2011 Show (courtesy of Michael Hayes)5/9How do you select and book a venue?
Chloe of LSE: "We host the show in a big lecture theatre on campus that accommodates a larger audience of around 200 people. We use neighbouring classrooms as backstage space."
Patricia of Fordham: "The show is held in Fordham University's gym each year. Last year, approximately 500 people attended the show."
Emerly of Northwestern: "We host the show in an auditorium at Northwestern. It's a free venue for student organizations, so it's the most economic choice we have given our budget constraints. 315 people attended the show last year."
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Photo: Model Jessie Wang wearing student designer Michelle Brown at the 2011 Unity Charity Fashion at Northwestern University (courtesy of Justin Barbin)6/9How do you cast models?
Chloe of LSE: "We hold auditions on campus and promote them on Facebook, Twitter, and posters. We encourage all students to come and audition; height and size are not factors in our judgement. We wanted to include as many different students as possible."
Patricia of Fordham: "The models are all Fordham student, and we hold open casting calls. We use about 30 models."
Emerly of Northwestern: ""We host model calls, and choose people who have a sturdy, confident walk and bring a lot of energy. It is about personality and spunk rather than dress size or weight. Models have training sessions every week up until the show."
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Photo: Lakshmi Sonrisa (on left) and student models at the 2012 Unity Charity Fashion Show at Northwestern University (courtesy of Justin Barbin)7/9What do you do to generate press and sell tickets?
Alex of LSE: "Our marketing team makes posters, designs tickets, and creates a press pack. We put together an invite and send it out to contacts from different fashion magazines and blogs."
Patricia of Fordham: "We have a blog where student writers highlight their peer’s fashion and the sponsors of the show. We also contact local newspapers, magazines and television stations in hopes that the media would pick up on the club’s story."
Emerly of Northwestern: "We design flyers that we distribute throughout campus, and we also push our marketing efforts through social media."
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Photo: Model Caspar Hanle wearing James Hillman AW11 at the LSE Fashion Society's 2012 show (courtesy of Mai Nguyen)8/9What are the main challenges in organizing a student fashion show?
Alex of LSE: "Gaining everyone's cooperation and commitment is difficult at the start. As an organizer, the show takes precedence in my everyday life, but for the models, it's an extracurricular activity. Organizing the show is a balancing act. Everything to do with the show goes through me, so it is important to restrain from fully taking over. As a leader of a group, you also have to accept that you cannot do everything yourself. Delegating tasks, sharing responsibilities, and accepting the ideas of others over your own is important."
Patricia of Fordham: "I would definitely say time management. All of the club members are still, first and foremost, students. Everyone has full schedules. Putting on a student organized fashion show is truly a group effort that would not be possible if we did not work together."
Emerly of Northwestern: "One of the biggest challenges is to convince well-known clothing brands to sponsor our show. Large brands need to go through a hierarchy of ecutive approval from corporate headquarters in order to officially sponsor the show. This always takes a long time, and many stores have a policy not to participate in student fashion shows for fear of brand value diffusion."
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Photo: Model Lucia Pfluger wearing Vjera Vilicnik at the LSE Fashion Society's 2012 show (courtesy of Jing Zhu)9/9What advice do you have for students who want to organize a college fashion show?
Chloe of LSE: "It's important to communicate well. Keeping your team up to date with what is going on and involving them in the process is key to maintaining high participation and commitment as well as avoiding misunderstandings. Also, bear in mind your responsibility and set an example so that others will trust and follow you."
Patricia of Fordham: "The show does not need to be a huge production; there is nothing wrong with starting off small. In the past, we've had smaller shows where only one student designer was showcased. Tapping into any resources available to you is also key; try a local boutique or designer who may be willing to lend out clothes for your show. Get in contact with university staff at your school; professors and student resource centers are both great options to help steer you in the right direction."
Emerly of Northwestern: "Always be organized, but also keep in mind that flexibility is key. No matter how meticulously students plan for the big day of the show, there usually will be a few unexpected obstacles that will require leaders to think on their feet in order to resolve issues quickly."
