magazine publishers, modeling agencies, and talent scouts... which could in turn get them discovered and rocketed into overnight fortune and fame. But of course, there is just one catch. You have to pay to be in the show. Designers have to pay, models have to pay, and even some photographers have to pay to have access to their golden runway of dreams. The brutal truth is that there are no talent scouts or legitimate fashion journalists at any of these shows. Just the promoter and his pocket full of your hard-earned, dream spent money. Sorry folks, Ms. Wintour got delayed... she is busy sipping champagne at the private Chanel show at the Waldorf and won't be sitting front row as you strut down the catwalk. Oh well, maybe next year.
To make things worse, social media has completely disrupted the entire way NYFW functions and who gets to participate. Many seasoned fashion journalists and high-end fashion photographers who have spent a career covering events like NYFW have been locked out of many sanctioned shows and events and been replaced by social media influencers with nothing more than an iPhone in their hands. "Nobody wants to pay anymore." Explains one well known fashion photographer who only spoke to us on the condition that they remain anonymous for fear of further lockout or retribution. "I used to shoot all the big shows. Chanel, Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, and Victoria's Secret. But when I applied for my credentials and submitted my shoot proposals earlier this year, I got rejection letters back from all of them." He explains. "I thought to myself... what the hell is going on? I haven't raised my rates in 5 years and all of the art buyers at these brands love my work. So I called my rep at Victoria's Secret," he continues, "someone I've had a close personal working relationship with for over 15 years, and asked her why I had been rejected. She told me that all of the big designer brands are moving in a new direction and no longer feel the need to pay pro rates for photographers because these social media influencer kids will basically work for free if they get access to the events. And since most of the photos only end up on the Internet on sites like Instagram, they don't need high resolution, professionally shot pictures anymore. I was completely dumbfounded."
The big designers definitely feel no shame as they leave behind the industry veterans who put them on the map and helped their brands flourish. It is all about dollars and cents. New fashion trends are more likely to filter out from influencers or celebrities to the public than from traditional sources like magazines and trade publications. A 20 year old Influencers can snap a photo or video right from where they are sitting, or even live stream the event... and within seconds their followers on social media see and share in the experience. The kids are happy that they are even at the event surrounded by their favorite celebrities and designer brands, and the designers are ecstatic at all of the free publicity they are getting. "It's all about the buzz!" Says one senior brand executive for Torry Burch. "They are like worker bees building a hive for their queen. The reach is much farther than putting a billboard in Times Square or running an ad (Continued)
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