In just a few short days it will be New York Fashion Week — ever since I was a young girl in High School I imagined myself being there but had no idea how I would actually get there. Rewind to last year, when I had the chance of attending and it was a mixed bag of feelings including overwhelming, happy and nervous!
If you will be attending the shows this year and want to make the best of it — below are a few ways to create your own opportunities.
Find your Tribe
This simply means, go with a group or team of people who have Industry Connections. If you are a micro Influencer, there are brands who will pay for your trip in exchange for you promoting their brand. In my case, I discovered an amazing platform called Fashion Mingle that is all about creating connections and networking opportunities for people in the Fashion Industry. My job was to create content for their website by attending the shows and basically writing about them. It’s free to sign up and the possibilities are endless (If you are determined to do the work) Sign up with my link below to get an amazing perk to be seen by top Industry Professionals.
Sign up by clicking the link below
https://fashionmingle.net/network/users/register/affiliate/FZkBmwdPVGaaLi@@Nee–Dg@@7GEC6JqBbniA58LHCnlS4=
Find it on Eventbrite
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This is something I recently discovered and I wonder why it took me so long! Eventbrite is a platform for events and advertisers and all you have to do is go on the website and search for events based on city, month and interest and like magic events should pop-up. I was able to find a few events for NYFW where I can attend (standing room only) or even volunteer! If you find an event that appeals to you, be sure to quickly sign-up as spots go super fast.
Reach out to Designers
This seems like a no-brainer right? That’s because it is! Here’s what I did — I researched Jamaican Designers who presented at NYFW in previous years and reached out to them asking if they would be presenting this year! If they said yes, I asked to attend as a guest/media and offered an article and photos in exchange for attending. I’ve realized that NYFW is a big deal, but I’ve rarely seen local (Jamaican) Media Houses present for the shows — the information in the Newspapers in Jamaica is always after the Designer has presented and they see it on Social Media and reach out. It helps that I’m there in the action as it happens and I’m able to provide an article while it’s fresh and hot! Designers love to know that they not only have the support from abroad but from “yard” which is a Big deal here in Jamaica.
If you will be attending the shows this year, these tips should be helpful.
