Hello Darling!
This past week I was in New York City for Fashion Week and my mind and heart is still reeling from the incredible experience I had. It was my second year in a row to attend and both experiences were unbelievable. Attending NYFW has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe it would come true. Now as I look back on the past two years attending I can say that I beyond blessed and thankful. I have learned and experienced more than I could have ever imagined. Upon returning I have received quite a few questions about attending NYFW. So today, I am so excited to answer all of your questions plus, share everything your need to know about attending New York Fashion Week.
Attending New York Fashion Week Q&A
Q: When is NYFW?
A: September and February. September shows the upcoming Spring trends and February shows the upcoming fall trends.
Q: How does one get invited to NYFW?
A: From a blogger or press standpoint it is all about networking/ pitching. Three months before fashion week starts is when I start to contact brands, pr agencies, and showrooms. This is how you will receive any invite from shows, events, to showrooms. Just pitch as much as you can and the invitations will start to come in.
Q: When do you start to receive invites?
A: In my experience, invites start to roll in anywhere from a month to the week of fashion week. It can be a bit nerve racking to wait for those invites but they will slowly but surly come in.
Q: How do you find contacts for fashion shows, pr agencies, showrooms, ect. ?
A: If there is a specific show, pr agency or showroom you are trying to attend you can almost always find a contact online. Whether that is on their website, or just simply by searching google. As a blogger I have been very blessed to work with brands, and pr agencies throughout the year and it is always my first priority to contact them before anyone else.
Q: Do you get invited to all the events or is there a sign up for them?
A: Sometimes PR agencies that are putting on several showrooms/events will send out a sign up just to see if you are planning to attend but this does not insure your invitation.
Q: Do you work with an agent to make your plans?
A: I do not. The past two years I have done all the emailing, pitching and planing myself. I do know a few women that work with agents throughout the whole year who will also help them with NYFW. It is awesome to have an agents help, but you don’t necessarily need it. It just comes down to preference and the season you are in with your business/ brand.
Q: Is your hotel and airfare covered?
A: The past two years mine has not been. It definitely can be though. If you are working with a brand during fashion week your travel can be covered depending on your collaboration/contract. Also, a great way to get your hotel covered is by pitching to hotels in the area 3-4 months ahead of time working out a fun collaboration.
Q: Do you buy your plane ticket before you receive invitations?
A: It is all based on preference. I buy my plane tickets farther in advance so that I stay within a certain budget. It can be a bit nerve racking not knowing your exact schedule but if you work hard enough and pitch your little booty off you will get invitations, meetings, etc. 🙂
Q: Do you travel with fellow bloggers?
A: Yes, the past two years I have been so lucky to have traveled with fellow bloggers and besties . Last year I travel with Kailey and Hailey ( DoubleShotOfSass ) and this year I traveled with Lauren Smith (LifeToLauren) and Mollie Moore ( MollieMoore ) .
Q: Are there free clothes and products you receive while you are there?
A: Yes. At most events, showrooms, and meetings you will normally receive some sort of product.
Q: Why do you attend fashion week?
A: That is a great question! Of course it is so fun to go and see the newest trends but my goal during fashion week is to meet and network with brands, and pr agencies I have worked with or would like to work with. The majority of the brands, or pr agencies bloggers work with are based in NY or they will have a representation at NYFW. It is a great opportunity to meet face to face and get to know one another. When you own your own business you are the face of the brand so it’s so important to have that face to face interaction.
New York Fashion Week is such a magical time. It is crazy to think that two year ago I went in with blind eyes not knowing a clue of what I was doing. I say that to you because if it is a dream of yours to attend NYFW, do it! It is such an incredible experience and you will learn more than you could ever imagine!
If there is a question bout NYFW that I did not cover, please let me know in the comments below. I will be sharing more about this last week with you within this week. So stay tuned for more NYFW posts. You can also check out some of my fashion week looks by following me on Instagram.
YOU ARE SO LOVED!
XOXO,Tay
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