A Primer – Fashion Week’s Power Players

Photo caption: Anna Wintour, Vogue, Editor, Salma Hayek, Lenny Kravitz and Daft Punk Attend Saint Laurent Show, Photo Courtesy of Hollywood Reporter

There are four types of people that make or break a fashion show – find out who they are.

Editor: There are editors who cover fashion for newspapers, magazines, and fashion websites. Working a major fashion publication is a coveted and competitive job, but scoring an internship during college can provide a foot in the door. There are basically two kinds of fashion editors: market editors, who have a finger on the pulse of every trend and up-and-coming designer and consult on which are most appropriate for their readers, and fashion writers, who report on new styles and how to wear them.

Celebs: It used to be that the biggest celebrities at fashion shows were famous magazine editors. Now, movie and television stars often take up a number of front row seats since they play a big part in the world of fashion (think about how many actresses now appear on the cover of Vogue and other magazines instead of models). That’s why design houses will go to great lengths to woo celebs to their shows.

Designer Publicist: Instrumental in helping organize a show, this is the person who promotes the designer by making sure the right people attend. A publicist knows everyone who is anyone in the industry, as well as everyone who is going to be anyone in the industry. They take a leading role in the guest list and the all-important seating chart.

Buyer: Often graduates from fashion merchandising programs, they decide what’s for sale at a store. A buyer has to understand what a range of customers are willing to spend money to purchase. So if you see a big sale rack with lots of the same dress on it, a buyer has made a mistake!

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