In 2020, New York Fashion Week is much more than runway shows and street style. It’s a jam-packed week (that continues to shrink a little each year) filled with meetings, events, previews, and gatherings. And while I have thoughts on what the future of fashion week will look like, I think that while we’re looking for a solution to make it more functional for designers and attendees that there are lots of exciting opportunities to take advantage of while we’re there.

Everyone has different goals during NYFW (some people really just want to catch the attention of street style photographers!) but if you’re planning a trip to New York or you work in the industry and are able to attend the real benefit of NYFW is the networking opportunities. Fashion’s biggest names and newest up-and-comers will all be in the same five-block radius for a few days and it’s an amazing chance to network. Whether you’ve attended fashion week in the past or if you’ll be going for the first time and want some expert tips, here are some ways that over the years I’ve been able to network and meet new people during NYFW. That’s how me and Caitlin first met too!

Use Facebook groups to plan ahead

I’m in lots of amazing Facebook groups like rewardStyle Bloggers, The InfluenceHer Collective Facebook Group, Micro-Influencer Network and so on that constantly have discussions and group threads about fashion week planning. If you’re coming in from out of town, plan ahead with a group and see if you can pitch hotels and ask to cover shows if anyone from the group gets an invite they can’t attend

Attend as many events as you’re able to

I don’t want to encourage going to every single damn preview and party that happens during the week because honestly you’ll burn out in the first two days. But fill your schedule in a way that makes you feel comfortable and happy and don’t write off smaller presentations! Those are often where you’ll meet the coolest people and the brands will love you for showing up and enthusiastically creating content about their brands. For my advice on how to get invited to events, read this post.

Talk to people

This one might sound obvious…but when you go to these things TALK to people. Talk to people while they’re standing in line or talk to people who you get seated next to at a show. I know it’s tempting to just be on your phone, but everyone who is there is there for a reason so don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation.

Schedule meetings

If you’re coming in from out of town, go the extra mile to get to know brands and ask for a coffee meeting to hear more about upcoming launches and what they’re working on. Not every fashion brand will have time to do this but if you’re a fashion and beauty content creator, this is a great time to connect with beauty brands.

Have business cards on hand

Or your phone fully charged so that you can connect via Instagram, the 2020 business card.

Follow up

Don’t forget to follow up! You’ll cross paths with so many people during fashion week and even sending a quick “nice to meet you” email or DM at the end of the day will go a long way in helping people remember who you were.

Have other tips? Let me know what they are in the comments and read the rest of my NYFW posts here.

yours,

Austen

Photographs above by Jessie Alcheh

How To Network Like a Pro During New York Fashion Week