I get questioned a lot about London Fashion Week, I feel like its made out like this magical event that gets hyped up so much. Its has a sense of mystery about it and I thought I would write a post revealing the mystery, what I expected, how to get an invite, and what its really like.
The LFW Myths
Before I attended I imagined this amazing glamours event. I thought it would all be in one place, like a big expo space that only people with special invites could enter. I thought it would be a fun stress free day full of eating cute snacks and drinking tea/champagne. Some people seem to think that you can buy tickets to fashion week and some people think that I get paid to be there. Some people think that you have to dress like Lady Gaga to get into shows all of the above are complete misconceptions and are nothing of what the week entails for a small time blogger like me.
What its Really Like(for me, a small blogger)
You cant make every show..
I seem to forget after every season how hard fashion week is! It is not stress free for me, its probably the most stressful days of my year. If your a city girl then you will probably cope with it better than some one like me. I am from the Isle of Wight, I am use to empty roads, being the only person using our one train line, I am not use to the mantic mayhem that is London! So just spending time in the city is exhausting for me. I think a lot of people think that London Fashion Week is all under one roof, I think back in the day is was all held at somerset house, but all 4 seasons that I have attended it has been spread across several venues, stressing little old me out as it means I have to navigate in London! Be prepared to have to miss shows, theres is no way that you can do it all. I always make my self a schedule on my phone and plan my travel.
Be prepared to wait around for hours..
Hours is a slight exaggeration, its more like an hour. Being a small time blogger means that you wont have priority seats, you will have to wait un till every one has been seated until you can be let in. I have been left out waiting an hour in the rain with probably about 50 girls like me all wanting to get into this show, luckily I was at the beginning of the queue so managed to get in but I know that they turned a lot of people away.
You wont get papped and the sooner you realise this the better..
(when I say you I am referring to my self ) I don't want to sound bitter but I did have this misconception 2 years ago when I first attend that I would get photographed and put in magazines etc etc the reality is I am 5'3 size 12 with cankles. I am surrounded buy beautiful models with legs up to there armpits dripping in designer items, theres no point competing. I am glad I realised that after the first day of my first season, I changed my heels for trainers and I felt a lot more relaxed.
Just because you have ticket doesn't mean that your get in..
As I touched on earlier if you are a small blogger you wont get a priority seat, you will be left to the end and only let in if there is room. I remember back to my first ever show being so upset that I couldn't get in, so if you want to guarantee getting in make sure you get there early.
All of that being said if you can put up with all of that, fashion week can be a really fun event to attend. I love the buzz that London has and I like to feel like I am part of something. The shows are always breath taking and to be honest I don't mind waiting around in queues as its a great way to see some awesome street styles. Its also a great way to network, meet people with similar interests as you and make new blogging friends. If you live in London or near by then even if you don't have a ticket you could still head to one of the venues the streets are filled with amazing street styles and photographers and the odd celebrity.
How to get an Invite
I was on the fence about including this, fashion week is a industry event kind of like a work conference that your boss sends you on. The reason bloggers, buyers, photographers etc get invited is because they are there to work its not a fun festival that any one can rock up to. But that said if you are a small blogger, influencer, fashion photographer that wants in on the action the this is the way I would suggest going about things.
1. Instagram and Twitter are the way in!
A lot of PR companies share on their Instagram or Twitter a schedule of clients that they represent, sometimes they attach an email address saying if you would like to request a LFW invite email this person. They normally do this about 2 weeks before so keep an eye out. Now I am not saying that you will instantly get a ticket, you still need to convince them that you being there will benefit the designer, be sure to link in your social media and blog and maybe link evidence of you covering a previous event. This is how I received my first invites 2 years ago. Ones that I have used previously and built good relationships with are Pop PR, HPR and Fashion Scout.
2. The Designers Press Contact
Now this isn't a dead cert, I have done it in the past and 75% of the time it doesn't work. But maybe you might want to try it as I did receive a few invites last season from doing this method. All of the designers showing at London fashion week are listed on the official London Fashion Week website (linked here) and all have a press contact. So I don't see the harm in sending them an email outlining the benefits of you attending, I always say that there is no harm in asking.
3. London Fashion Festival Week Festival
So if you're not a blogger or if you haven't had any luck getting invites then this can be a great way to get a feel of what fashion week is like. London Fashion Week Festival is an event that any one can purchase a ticket for and is held the weekend after LFW there are catwalk shows, pop up shops and talks from industry experts. I attend 2 years ago and loved it! http://londonfashionweekfestival.com/
Hat - Asos | Coat - Vintage | Dress - Missguided | Tights - Primark | Boots - Topshop | Bag - MarcB
I hope this post was helpful/interesting, let me know if you have attended in the past, what were your thoughts??
If you have any other questions leave them below.
Disclaimer: I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to attend London Fashion Week for the 4th season. This post isn't meant to come across as me being ungrateful or to bash the event I just wanted to share my thoughts of what it was like for me.
Loved this post, really interesting read!
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