APPROACHING NYFW: From the Post-Grad-New-to-the-City Perspective
Image via IG @kaitlynsrutledge
New York Fashion Week-- we’ve all heard about it; we all know its significance. But what about those of us who are new on the fashion scene? What about us early twenty-somethings who are making our best effort to get our foot in the door at these events? Just for the hope of rubbing elbows with the person who has the power to grant us the “yes” that launches our career?
Let me set the scene. You’ve just turned your tassel & finished your fashion degree. You picked up your life in your small southern town after graduation and are now experiencing the culture shock of a lifetime entering the all too infamous New York fashion industry. Your apartment is too small, much like the checks from your part-time job, but you don’t care. The creative part of your brain is overstimulated with the possibilities the city seems to exude. You’re running on the fumes of a dream, coming across as naïve to those who have come before you and inspiring to those you left back in your hometown.
Suddenly, it’s September 1st. As the first breeze of fall begins to change the set background, a new plot emerges—how the f*** are you going to get in with fashion week?
As a biannual event in the city, Spring/Summer showings in September and Autumn/Winter showings in February, Fashion Week was traditionally the best way for designers to present their new collections to buyers and VIP clients. Now, Fashion Week has evolved into one of the city’s largest spectacles filled with celebrities, media coverage, and a shroud of mystery for those on the outside of the bubble. However, the showings throughout the week provide inspiration to all creatives alike. A seat at a show is not only an opportunity to be the first eyes on a collection, but also a chance to cover the show via whatever medium you prefer. Ultimately, a chance to develop the specific skills associated with this that are vital to many fashion career paths.
It’s almost a rite of passage, working and/or attending fashion week as a young, aspiring fashion professional. You have to cut your teeth somehow, and what better way than right in the thick of every who’s who the city has to offer? There’s only one problem. As if this one week is a microcosm of the entire industry, getting your foot in the Fashion Week door is much easier said than done.
Connections are your only hope when it comes to this industry, especially when you only have your college portolfio to show for work experience. (Who wants to work with a random 22-year-old with no “real” experience? I wouldn’t either honestly!) But, remember, you just moved here, so the connections are slim—at least you have a few! Use them!
Fashion Week is almost upon us. For a new resident of the city on the look-out for their break into the world of runways and fashion media, being involved with this event can seem like an imperative. Realistically, it is not the end of the world to not have much on your calendar September 7th-14th, even though the FOMO might be heightened this week. Finding ways to get involved could be as simple as reviewing the photos of collection looks posted the day after their showing. I’ve found that keeping perspective is key when you’re new to this city. Everything will happen in its own time; so, even though it’s annoyingly cheesy, doing your best is more than enough.
As for me, I will continue cold emailing my little heart out, in pursuit of those aforementioned “yes” responses. One day, when I can cover shows from the front row, I’ll look back on this first Fashion Week in the city as a beautiful period of learning and growth. Until then, I will appreciate the digital age we live in and enjoy the Livestreams where I can get them.
See you in a few days, New York Fashion Week!
xo
KR
Image via IG @kaitlynsrutledge
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