The lights, the runways, the models, the clothes! This is what one thinks when you say New York Fashion Week. For this PR girl, my mind goes to – the boxes, the vendors, the spotlights, the signage, the caterers, the press, the wine! Not exactly the most glamorous of images, is it?
For the past six years, I have had the pleasure of working on my client’s big NYFW program – the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation created by Ecco Domani Wines. It is an amazing program that gives the best and brightest emerging designers the chance to present their collections on fashion’s biggest stage. The fun part for me is getting the unique peek behind the curtain of glamour.
Making your mark…
Now there’s no question why a brand would want to be a part of this major event. You’re getting your product in the hands of highly-influential fashionistas and connecting your brand to the world of style. But making that happen and making it memorable is more than just pouring wine. For Ecco Domani in 2001, it was about leveraging the brand’s modern and stylish brand image and making a footprint in fashion that would create a lasting impact on the industry as a whole. Enter DeVries and the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation! For 11 years, we have helped launch the careers of some of the biggest names in fashion like Zac Posen, Derek Lam and Alexander Wang to name a few.
It’s more than just pretty clothes…
My friends look at my job and think – “Oh wow! Fashion Week – it must be so glamorous!” What they don’t see is the months of work that goes into building a program that will grab the attention of the most sought after editors and writers all within a sea of other glitzy brands.
From stalking showrooms and new designers to sifting through over 200 applications to make sure each one qualifies – my team’s work begins almost a year before the lights go up on the runway. During Fashion Week, we are working with seven different designers (and personalities) to make sure their shows are ready to go while coordinating catering teams to pour that oh-so-important wine at each event. Not to mention, is the gobo spotlight working? Did Women’s Wear Daily get their invitation? Are the signs where they need to be (yes that was us walking down 10th Avenue carrying an eight foot tall step-and-repeat because there was no time to messenger it!)?
But when it all comes down to it and you take a step back to see all the hard work pay off, it’s a great feeling. When I meet the designer who, with tears in her eyes, tells me that this program has changed her life, I’m proud of my work. When my clients are all smiles as they walk into the event that my team has worked so hard to put together, I feel glamorous, on the inside.
Erin Serrano is a Senior Account Supervisor here at DeVries. You can find her talking all things wine and travel on Twitter.
