Fashion week is the most anticipated event of the year for all those in the fashion industry. From designers to models to fashion stylists and all the other occupations that make up the fashion industry, this is the most significant week as it allows everyone to showcase all they have been working on in the last year. For outsiders, this event usually comes across as fabulous, with beautiful models strutting down the runway. But not everything is always as it seems. This article takes you behind the scenes and helps unravel some simple truths about these shows that you might not have known.

DESIGNERS DRESS CELEBRITIES TO ATTEND THEIR SHOW

Yes, fashion week gets a lot of press coverage, some press will ask to get paid, and some won’t, but with so many shows happening at the same time or simultaneously, it isn’t easy to keep the press’s attention on just one fashion brand. Hence, designers dress up celebrities for free to draw attention to their brands.

WHERE YOU SIT IS EVERYTHING

Where you sit at a fashion show says a lot about who you are. Front-row seats are prestigious. They are reserved for fashion editors, celebrities, buyers, fashion bloggers, and socialites. If you are not on the front row, then you are not any of the above.

SOME MODELS ARE WILLING TO WORK FOR LITTLE OR NOTHING

Most times, models just starting out in their careers are willing to work for less or next to nothing to get their careers and portfolios up and running. Sometimes models will trade their pay for clothes from the designers to cut down on the cost of producing a show.

THE GIFT BAGS ARE UNDERWHELMING

Front-row seats always have gift bags laid out on them, but trust me, the gifts are never anything to write home about. Sometimes you might get promotional gifts from corporate sponsors of a designer, and even if they are not promotional gifts, they are always products you might never use.

SHOWS USUALLY START LATE

Yes, things in fashion are always fashionably late. Fashion shows are notorious for starting late due to many factors. Sometimes it might be because models are still getting dressed or clothes are being adjusted on them, or it might be because a designer is waiting for the arrival of an important buyer or editor to be seated before the show starts. In any case, they almost always start late, but there are some exceptions.