Fashion Week is already behind us a couple weeks, but today we get to bring you another point of view of the events and shows from that week. One of our own Fashion Class Instructors, Jene Stefaniak, had the opportunity to volunteer for Fashion Week and get behind the scene peeks, assist in preparing for the shows and making sure the huge event went perfectly. I was so curious myself so I asked her a few questions to share the experience with us all!
How did you get involved with Fashion Week? What was the process like?
There are many different ways in which one may work at fashion week, whether through one of the designers, production companies, sponsors, venue, etc. I personally volunteered for the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America, a very prestigious organization which has been around for about 50 years), and in order to do so, had to fill out an application online, send in a cover letter and resume, and then wait to hear from them. They don’t contact everyone, but those who they are interested in get contacted and must be interviewed. Once you pass the interview and they like you, you’re in!
Wow! that’s a ton of work just to volunteer! What were the shifts like?
A lot of them start at 6 or 7am! A typical shift lasts 5-10 hours, sometimes with no break for food or rest! The 5 hour shifts are for one show, while the 10 hour shifts are for two back to back shows. We are there to assist the production team of each show we are working at, and have to pretty much do whatever they need, and sometimes the tasks are really boring!
Tasks on a shift include putting number/name cards on seats (which have to be perfectly straight and symmetrical), straightening seats, stuffing gift bags, cleaning up the makeup tables backstage, even trimming the messy threads off the carpet! Also, post show you sometimes have to take all the covers off the chairs, fold and stack them all, and there are about 1000 seats in the main show space, and maybe about 10-15 volunteers on a shift. It’s a work out! I worked at 5 shows, worked a lobby shift, and a shift where I stuffed all the VIP gift bags (jealous of what they get!!).
What were some of the best parts of the week?
Some highlights were getting to usher the guests before the show, it’s a great opportunity to see fabulously dressed fashion insiders and see all the famous editors, photographers, etc, and even a few celebrities. Getting to see Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington from a few feet away was amazing.
The best part of the week was when me and 4 other volunteers got to learn the runway choreography to the Anna Sui show, practice it to get the timing right for the number of looks to the length of the song (so walking down the full runway with the venue all set up and photographers in the press pit!), and THEN got to teach it to the 5 models opening the show, who I am a really big fan of! Karlie Kloss, Jamie Bochert, Liu Wen, Hillary Rhoda, and Daria Strokous, it was so cool! And they were all really nice.
What did you take away from the experience?
Overall it was a really inspiring experience. It’s really amazing to see how the shows are put together, from the production side of it, like seeing how the themes of the collection are realized through music and visuals such as the particular goodie bags and press kits they give to the guests.
Seeing the shows in person is really emotional, you can see and feel how much love and effort has gone into each collection, not just by the designer but by their whole team. Seeing the final thing come together is really awe-inspiring. Looking back at the images online from the shows I worked at, wow, they are not nearly as rich and amazing in photos as they are in person. I wish there was a better way to do these designers’ amazing clothes justice!
Would you someday want to premier your own line of garments on the Fashion Week runway?
I’m not sure if I would want to have my line at Fashion Week someday, because the whole purpose of Fashion Week is to basically sell your line to buyers who then order the pieces they want, you have them made, then ship them out a few months later.
I want to be a custom order designer and make the clothes myself; I really love the craft and love that it takes to make a one of a kind, perfectly fitting, truly special garment, and I think I would be cheating on what I believe in if I went to that side of the fashion industry. However, it is definitely a very valuable part of our economy and is an inspiration to other designers, whether that be someone working for a lower end company copying a design or a high school student who gets new ideas by seeing the new clothing from fashion week.
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Jene in addition to being an A+ instructor here at the Fashion Class is also a student at FIT studying ladies Tailoring and Haute Couture. If you’re interested in volunteering for Fashion Week in the fall or another big fashion show in the future or if you want to learn more about her experience, ask Jene when you see her!
Aliya
