Fashion Show Planning and Committees

I was so tired this morning, just running on coffee and Poptarts… but I woke right up when I got to my Fashion Show class. My teacher told us that she was going to lecture and then we would brainstorm a theme for the fashion show we are going to produce. I am fascinated by the industry of fashion show production. Here are some major points we talked about…

Fashion Show Planning and Committees:

The fashion event requires advance planning and greatly detailed organization. Planning involves all the preliminary preparations of the show. The planning must be proper for the type of show and the abilities of the group producing the show. It is better to do an excellent job on a small show and not a mediocre job on a large show. Communication is very important and must be well defined and functional. The more organized you are, the more confident you will be when the show goes up.

The first step is planning a fashion show catering to a certain audience. The merchandise must match the audiences interests. There are two types of audiences. Guaranteed Audience is an audience that is established before the show is organized. A Created Audience is one that is established after the show is planned. It is the result of publicity and advertising. A retailer can use a fashion show to attract an audience. A production or runway show might require a large audience. Consider the age of the audience when planning the show. Younger audiences need to be constantly entertained. It is usually necessary to have louder, more contemporary music with a faster beat.

Leadership is very important. One of the first steps in planning a show is planning who is going to be the planning leaders.

Fashion Show Coordinator carries the responsibilities of producing the show, involved in everything. They must be able to communicate with everyone involved, both verbally and in writing. Must keep a notebook of every detail of the show: tasks to be completed, follow up dates, and future needs of the show. They must be able to forsee problems and be flexible to work around difficulties when they arise. Many people are involved in the show and it’s important for the show coordinator to know everything that the others are doing.

Model Coordinator is responsible for selecting and training models. They coordinate the model’s activities. Organizes and supervises modeling rehearsals. The work closely with: merchandising team, modeling coach, beauty technicians, hair and makeup. They are in charge of getting models full names, mailing addresses, e-mail and sizing information.

Staging Coordinator oversees everything that involves the stage and runway. Supervises people providing services behind the scenes: Prop managers, lighting technicians, stage hands, music.

Promotion Coordinator is accountable for the creation and distribution of promotional materials.

Merchandise Coordinator selects appropriate merchandise for the show with other merchandise committee members. They supervise and schedule fittings with models. The Merchandise Coordinator works out the model line up. They must organize the dressers and the starters. They are also in charge of dressing room supervision.

For the fashion show my class is going to produce, I would like to be on the merchandising team. I have already recruited ten models, so maybe I should be on the modeling team as well. I can’t wait!