The Fashion Files

Fashion events should be about more than models sashaying down a runway in the latest styles

Erdem Moralioglu’s future recently got £100,000 (148,000 euros) brighter. On 21st September, the up-and-coming designer scooped up the 2005 Fashion Fringe award at London Trocadero. Beating out three other aspiring designers, Moralioglu won the lucrative support from Fashion Fringe and The Centre for Fashion Enterprise at London College of Fashion after presenting a capsule spring/summer 2006 collection, designed especially for the event, before a panel of internationally renowned judges, including Jade Jagger and Alexandra Shulman.
It was a memorable event for the designer and for London Trocadero, whose third floor UK-based fashion event organizer INCA Productions transformed into party central. The area hopped with industry luminaries and VIP guests such as Isabella Blow, Saffron Aldridge and Zandra Rhodes. It was just the kind of A-list gathering you’d expect to read about in the pages of fashion magazines like In Style or Vogue.
Meanwhile, backstage, L’Oréal Paris Féria focused on communicating the importance of colour in fashion, handling all hair and makeup for the show—L’Oréal even manned a booth where partyers could have their hair and makeup retouched throughout the night.
The catwalk show was certainly front and centre that evening, but this second edition grand finale of Fashion Fringe delivered much more than promising new designs. It was an entire experience organised by IMG, based on the vision of creative director Colin McDowell, a vision that came alive with the participation of event partners with high-profile brands and deep pockets.
For one, guests were chaperoned to and from the show in a fleet of chauffeur-driven BMW cars. Then Harrods took care of the food, linking the Fashion Fringe event to its own month-long Truly British celebration. The drinks flowed freely too, refuelling the crowd with a choice of Taintinger and Pommery champagne, Red Bull cocktails, Peroni beer, Sputnik vodka, Cantine Fontaine sparkling wine and Perrier sparkling water. And after the show, those who still had enough energy left over to party into the morning were invited to head to London Trocadero’s fifth floor, where DJ Frank Tope spun the tracks by a dance floor big enough to fit 1,000 guests.
The Fashion Fringe grand finale was exactly the kind of event that could allow London Trocadero an opportunity to show the world why it calls itself  “London’s leading dining, entertainment and shopping centre”. It delivered fashion and an exclusive look at what could be the makings of a successful designer label—an ongoing partnership with the Sunday Times’ Style supplement only boosted the event’s profile. There was food galore and fine touches like the chauffeur service and touch-up booths, which made guests feel like they were enjoying a special night on the town.
London Trocadero went as far as calling its show the highlight of London Fashion Week. It’s a big claim, but one that likely offered the centre more PR leverage than merely stating that it was presenting the looks for 2006. The latter message would have been lost in the pile of countless media advisories from other centres claiming to be style authorities too.
Fashion shows certainly are alluring on their own merit and, given how much money shoppers spend each year at their favourite apparel retailers or on fashion consumer magazines, one can see why they are great promotional tools. However, there are so many of them around that holding one to present what retailers have in store during key trading seasons may not be enough to convince shoppers to take the time to attend them. Shopping centres and even individual retailers need a twist.
London Trocadero’s twist was the combination of the designer competition and a memorable evening out. For retailers along London’s Oxford Street, the call to action was “Celebrate Oxford Street—Dress to Impress”.
The brainchild of Stuart Ross, head of Marks and Spencer (M&S), the event was held on 1st October and aimed to entice customers back to the area in the aftermath of the London bombings. In collaboration with the city mayor and the New West End Company, retailers such as M&S, BHS, Arcadia Group, Debenhams, Selfridges and John Lewis pooled their resources to deliver an energetic and well-attended event.
Media partner Heart FM presented live performances by Rachel Stevens, Liberty X and Charlotte Church on the main stage. Then, agency Select Models put on a high-street model search, while a host of bands and street entertainers enhanced the atmosphere of celebration.
Of course, each retailer drew footfall into their stores with parallel fashion events. The one Debenhams put on drew the crowds and it was greatly due to an innovative approach.
In addition to its catwalk fashion show, which took place in front of the main windows outside the store, Debenhams hired dance organisation Ceroc to offer dance demonstrations and give “taster” classes to shoppers—this, in association with Dance Extras, the suppliers of dancers, extras and walk-ons for film, television and entertainment productions.
“We knew that being part of this celebration was a fantastic opportunity and we wanted to create some in-store theatre with a range of activities for all the family,” said Kathryn Hammersley, senior marketing coordinator for Debenhams.
“I attend Ceroc classes myself and thought it would be a fun activity for our customers to try. All the dancers were wearing Debenhams fashions, including the guys showing just how versatile our ranges are.”
Selling fashion was certainly Debenhams’ goal, but its event gave potential customers an experience beyond the apparel and accessories.
The Mill shopping centre in Batley, West Yorkshire, also held a fashion show earlier this year. This event was more traditional in its presentation, but it still managed to strike a special chord with shoppers in the community because of the way it was managed.
Instead of employing professional models, which often is a costly plan, mall specialist Shoppertainment used The Mill employees as models—one of the male models actually came from The Batley Bulldogs. The fashions presented were mainly from The Mill retailers, but the Batley College of Art and Design added its own touches with some eye-catching designs. The Central College of Health and Beauty in Leeds had its make-up artists onsite to prep the models before they walked down the runway, with Breakfast Show DJ Lorna Bancroft of Real Radio comparing the first show.
“Involving so many members of the community enhanced the success of the event,” commented Janet Monks, PR manager for Modus Properties, Shoppertainment’s sister company. Monks added that many local residents came out to see and support the models they knew personally, and they encouraged word-of-mouth, which only extended the reach of The Mill’s own campaign for the event.
Two fashion shows were held: one at noon and another at 3pm—the latter was filled to capacity. There were also lots of goodies for the guests, including some bucks fizz, vouchers and giveaways, not to mention a grand prize of £500 (740 euros) in gift vouchers
“The day was a wonderful success for The Mill, driving footfall and spending up,” said Monk. “In fact, it’s been such as success that another winter show is due to take place soon.”
Who can blame The Mill for trying out its winning formula more than once a year? With so many project partners providing crucial services and employees playing model, the fashion show is an event whose costs were slimmed enough to slip easily into a marketing budget.
By turning a fashion-focused show into a community affair,  The Mill, like Debenhams and London Trocadero, made its event stand out and be noticed. As with any marketing scheme, putting the fashions in the fashion show is the easy part. Cutting through the clutter of parallel shows using innovative presentation methods and strategic partnerships is where the challenge and opportunity lye.

Top 5 Fashion Show Stoppers

1. Use alternative formats, including freeze modelling, display boxes, roaming models, “real” people castings and using mall employees to model at their own stations.

2. Get more mileage out of your fashion event by using it as a base for other marketing initiatives. e.g.: partner up with a local media outlet to stream a video of your fashion show onto your shopping centre’s Website. Combine that with images from your centre magazine and you have enough to build a fashion mini-site. Other contents include fashion tips from the centre style advisor or style expert at the local newspaper and a top-10 list featuring merchandise from your retailers. You can also use the show along with retailer information to produce a style supplement to run in the local newspaper.

3. Leverage retailer resources (e.g. sound system, stage design, lighting) to pull off a professional event.

4. Use street entertainers to spice up your show. Some might perform for free in exchange for exposure. It will also allow you to save money by hiring fewer professional models.

5. Work out a promotional deal with local TV or radio stations to have one of their fashion experts compare your event for free.

Getting the Word Out

Princes Square went all the way to appeal to fashionistas in Glasgow, Scotland, this past summer. The seventh edition of the shopping centre’s 50-page consumer magazine presented a mix of style briefs, fashion spreads highlighting the latest looks, advertisements from the likes of Hugo Boss and French Connection UK, and lots of lifestyle elements like dining and entertainment.
Princes Square magazine also enticed readers to enter competitions. One offered a chance to win a break for two at The Lodge in Argyll, while another gave participants a shot at winning one of five charm bracelets by Dower & Hall when they signed up for the centre’s e-service.
The main goal of the magazine is certainly to boost footfall at Princes Square and the choice of editorial subjects reflects that. However, the discrete placement of the store directory, location map and customer service information allows the centre to make its pitch effectively but quietly.
The end result is a publication that can stand on its own and looks like a fashion magazine instead of a catalogue posing as one. It’s also a medium that reinforces a consistent branding strategy that encompasses everything that Princes Square does—from onsite marketing and advertising to its email newsletter and upgraded Website.