If you are the designer, you probably have a good idea in mind for the theme of the show. If not, you could meet with local design students to see what kinds of outfits are available to showcase.
Planning fundraisers to raise money for your event or appealing to large businesses for donations are 2 ways you can pad your budget. You can ask designers and models to volunteer their time in exchange for free showcasing in your event.
Price your tickets between $10-$30, depending on the location. In a bigger city, you can charge more money. If you are mainly catering to college students, keep the ticket price low to encourage a bigger turnout. Your venue will determine the size of your event in the end, so keep in mind that until it is booked, your numbers need to be somewhat flexible.
If you are a student, you can find other students to help with the show. If you are putting on a fundraiser, have others from your organization volunteer their time.
Advertising is something that needs to be planned in advance, so recruit this person as soon as possible.
If you are working with children’s fashion, ask their parents to help out the day of the show to make sure the kids are comfortable.
Look online or talk to people who have planned fashion shows in the past to get referrals for a quality emcee. If you are doing a fundraiser fashion show, make sure to ask if you can get a discount on services.
Choose individuals who have good organizational skills, as there will be a lot going on backstage and a lot to keep track of.
These individuals need to be available the entire day of the event to help with preparations and with clean up once the show is over.
For example, on the agenda you could write each person’s name and their responsibilities, along with the various tasks they will need to complete, like “Mark Smith, advertising, in charge of social media promotions and creating and hanging fliers in local businesses. ”
The venue will, to a large extent, determine the time of the show and how large of a crowd you can expect, so book it as early in the process as possible. If you are organizing the fashion show as a fundraising event, ask the venue if they will donate the space to you for free or if they could offer you a discount on the booking price. Many universities offer auditorium space for free to students.
If you are booking a school or community center, there are probably rooms that can be used for backstage space and dressing rooms for the models.
You’ll need an isle for guests to walk down, room for handicap accessible spots, and space for a runway if there isn’t a stage already available.
If you are constructing your own runway, buy or rent several wooden, carpeted stage platforms. Line them in the center of the room on the day of the event and make sure they are pushed together tightly—you don’t want any gaps. Hang a black curtain where the runway starts so the models can come out from behind it.
If you are planning a baby or kids fashion show, visit local schools to ask parents about letting their kids participate
Choose men and women who have varied looks—showcasing different ranges of body types and styles will keep your audience more captivated than having models who all look very similar.
If you are working with a boutique or a school, ask them to help promote your event and sell tickets, too. Some fashion shows even charge the vendors to have their clothing included in the show; if you are planning a big fundraising event, this is another way you could potentially raise money.
If models will be wearing multiple outfits the night of the event, taking photos of them in each outfit can help them remember what goes with each outfit!
If people are letting you borrow personal clothing, keep a detailed list of who gave what so you can return items after the show.
Avoid music with lyrics as it can distract from the designs. Techno music or something with a strong beat is ideal.
If you are working with inexperienced models or younger people, you may need to coach them on how to do a runway walk and strike poses.
A lot of behind the scenes work goes into a fashion show. Everyone on your team should be available the day of the show to help out with last-minute tasks.
Ask the emcee for their thoughts on your music for the event—if they have experience, chances are they’ll have some good insights to share with you.
Make sure to have a refund policy in place in case the event has to be cancelled or rescheduled.
If you are posting photos of the models, make sure to have their permission beforehand to avoid any privacy violations.
If you are posting photos of the models, make sure to have their permission beforehand to avoid any privacy violations.
If you are organizing a charity fundraiser fashion show, submit press releases to the media with information about the cause you are supporting.
