What They Don’t Tell You About Attending Fashion Week...
What They Don’t Tell You About Attending Fashion Week...
Let’s play a quick game of “Would You Rather”:
Okay, so would you rather…
Blow $20,000 on five days of Fashion Week to maybe sit second row at a show for a brand that will probably forget your name within 12 hours of that show
orPut that toward an actual down payment on your sanity?
It’s 2025, and attending Fashion Week has officially become the most glamorized financial trap on the internet. I should know, I’ve been working the fashion-week-system for over a decade.
Back when I worked as the Director of Talent at NEXT in NYC, we were making a case to brands to let our clients like Danielle Bernstein, Sincerely Jules, and Chiara Ferragni attend the runway shows. And in the early days, it was pulllllling teeth people. Now, a decade later, the tables have turned, and tickets are now reserved for influencers… who pay for the privilege of sitting at them.
Let’s break down the (very real) costs, because there’s only one way to slice this info and that’s THICK:
Flights to NYC, Paris, Milan, etc.
$600/night hotel suites with decent lighting and bathtubs you’ll never use
Designer looks you’re “borrowing” (read: maxing out your Rent the Runway account)
Paid photographers to catch you “walking to the show”
Social media content, edited within an inch of its life
And of course, overpriced matcha to hold in every third photo
I remember when I saw Polina Nioly’s TikTok video where she showed how she spent $66,840 to do Fashion Week “right.” Finally, I thought, the truth is being exposed.
And I’m here for it.
Now the question becomes, is it still worth it?
That depends.
If Fashion Week is part of your brand strategy (ie: networking, brand alignment, content) then 110% it can be worth the spend if you’re playing smart. But the “see and be seen” trap? It’s just that… a freakin’ trap.
This is why creators need real strategy, not just a good outfit and the right hashtag.
During the last decade I’ve been helping influencers break the illusion of Fashion Week and get them from “dreaming” to getting paid five (and sometimes six) figures to show up.
This is why creators need real strategy, not just a good outfit and the right hashtag.
During the last decade I’ve been helping influencers break the illusion of Fashion Week and get them from “dreaming” to getting paid five (and sometimes six) figures to show up.
Promocode is…
…SUBSTACK50 — Only until September 30, 2025 5pm EST
Oh, and yeah, let it be known that this best-seller of a course costs less than a single night at that hotel you were about to book.
And unlike some events, this actually gets you something in return. (OH SNAP, yes I just went there).
XX Idalia