The Prohibitive Cost of Fashion Shows; Recaps of Tommy Hilfiger and More
New York is supposed to be a hotbed of young talent. But how does a new label break out given the enormous expense of putting on a fashion week show?
Thank you for subscribing to Back Row! This special fashion week issue is available in full for paid subscribers, and includes:
How young label Titov manages the exorbitant cost of fashion week shows.
Recaps of Tommy Hilfiger, Marni, and Sergio Hudson.
Tomorrow, paid subscribers will get a recap of Vogue World, the fashion show and street fair that cost up to $3,000 a ticket. The best way to support this publication and keep it ad-free is by becoming a paid subscriber for $5 a month or $50 annually. If I can recruit enough of you, maybe one day I will stage Back Row World. It will be free and feature dresses from Rent the Runway and Depop. Now tell me that’s not the livestream of your dreams.
Leading up to fashion week, I asked Back Row readers to send me tips. (You can still do so by DM’ing me or replying to one of these emails.) One came from designer Masha Titova, who launched her lingerie line Titov in the summer of 2019. She suggested I devote some space to digital releases on the NYFW calendar, which she is doing for the second time this season because she didn’t think there would be any way for her to pay for a fashion show.
This reality hit when Titova was scouting for locations in NYC in which to shoot a look book. One quoted her $8,500, not including the additional security it required. Another was $1,000 per hour plus cleaning fees. And a third was $20,000 for a couple of hours to accommodate just one photographer and a model. Not included in any of these quotes were necessary additional expenses, like catering and equipment rentals.
After seeing these prices, Titova didn’t see how she’d be able to stage an entire show or presentation.
The unfortunate reality for up-and-coming brands is that fashion week shows are expensive. In 2019, Christian Siriano told Vogue Business one of his shows typically costs $125,000 to $312,000, not including the clothing samples.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Back Row to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.