On Monday July 22, the Council of Fashion Designers of America dropped the official Spring 2025 New York fashion week calendar. The week long event in September draws worldwide attention to the big apple as the biggest American designers gather to present their highly anticipated collections.
Have you ever wanted to work or attend New York Fashion Week? At Peerless, we've done the hard work to find out how you can be right in the mix backstage or sitting pretty in the front row.
Seeking hands-on experience outside the local fashion community in our Virginia college town, my friends and I were determined to go to NYFW. Through a few connections and trial and error, we figured out how to land volunteer positions at some of the most well known fashion brands in the world.
Last year, I volunteered backstage at New York and Milan fashion week, working front and back-of-house. Front-of-house includes checking in guests, assisting VIP’s, and setting up the space. Back-of-house mainly includes dressing models and assisting with backstage communication.
If you’re looking for fashion experience that will make your resume stand out from the crowd, or a way to network while you build your brand, volunteering at fashion week is the perfect way to start.
Check out the tips that helped me land several roles below:
1.Cater your resume
Any fashion show experience, whether it was for your college org’s or your own brand, is the most important thing to highlight on your resume. If you haven’t worked a show before, think about jobs you’ve had that correlate directly to working one; such as retail and hospitality to demonstrate your time management and people skills.
2.Perfect your pitch
In addition to your resume, you’re going to want to add a little bit about yourself to the email just to give the brand a bit of context. Anything you can do to make yourself stand out here is key. If you’re a fashion major with a specific interest in luxury fashion, highlight that. If you are a designer with your own portfolio, drop that link. Anything that can make you memorable may be what moves your resume up the list. Skills that could save the runway, such as sewing by hand are also major advantages.
3. Double check with your network
While cold emailing with no recommendation has worked for me in the past, I would always suggest checking with your network first to see if you may know anyone who is aware of any open volunteer positions, whether its friends or alumni of your university. It can be intimidating but can make all the difference!
4. Follow up
Many brands wait to put out calls for volunteers until very close to the show date, as there are many other things to prepare for when it comes to putting on a runway show. Be sure to stand out by contacting as early as possible to show your enthusiasm and following up every month or so leading up to the show date.
5. Cold email
Last but not least, find the press or careers email for the brand you’re hoping to volunteer with. It’s no surprise smaller fashion brands are more likely to respond than household names, so don’t hesitate to reach out to brands you may have never heard of. In addition, reaching out to the many indie fashion weeks that support local NYC designers is a great way to get your foot in the door if you don’t have much experience.
Will you be heading to NYFW this year?
Let us know in the comments!
Comentarios