How to Deliver Return on Investment from Fashion Shows

Fashion shows can be more than branding moments if the VIC experiences are designed and hosted intentionally.

The anticipation of Prada, Fendi, Gucci, and other prestigious fashion shows brings back fond memories of my fashion show experiences hosting VICs (the top 1% of luxury house clientele).

My role was to deliver the “Swan's Move” - curating once-in-a-lifetime experiences to reward VIC’s loyalty, while ensuring four times or above return on investment for the business.

Let me take you on a journey to explore some "behind the scenes" of these fashion show glamours:

Who to Nominate

Selecting the “right” VICs for the fashion shows is an art in itself. Key factors to consider include VICs’ loyalty to the brand, spending power, fashion savviness, interest level in overseas experience, language capability, and relationship with the client-facing team.

Host Selection & Preparation

This is one of the most crucial factors in the experience’s success. A constant dilemma for luxury businesses is whether to select a client advisor who has a deeper relationship with the VIC or a store manager who is more capable of handling language and ad hoc situations. The answer depends on the overall resources and project group cater to the VIC experiences.

Maximising Pre-styling

Preselecting outfits for the clients and their plus-ones, with details on each occasion throughout their stays, requires meticulous effort.

This planning ensures that clients wear the brand's products on all occasions, only bring the 'essential' outfits, and do not show up wearing the same outfit as other clients, which is a big 'no-no' under all circumstances.

Nailing the Itinerary

Before the trips, I would discuss in detail with clients and their Sales Advisors what they would like to experience and how tight or loose they wish the trip to feel, resulting in a delightfully personalised journey.

The key is to secure clients' attendance as early as possible, as popular restaurants usually require booking months in advance. That said, Asian clients always appreciate at least one to two meals of their home cuisine.

There are options to privatise an art gallery or sightseeing for top clients and their friends. Some clients, however, want nothing but to spend the whole trip on Bond's Street or Avenue Montaigne.

Arranging a Seamless Hotel Check-in

I used to spend quality time in hotels where clients stayed to ensure the welcome experience was spot on. To confirm the exact room types being allocated, it is essential to visit clients' rooms personally. As many Asian clients arrive in Europe with early morning flights, I would always book an extra hotel night and revisit hotels in the morning before clients' arrival to ensure rooms are ready and impeccable.

Hotels typically include an excellent selection of in-room welcome packages. There's always an opportunity to personalise by putting clients' names on the welcome cards, chocolate packages, or even pillowcases for the really special ones. Including a little surprise snack from the clients' hometown will likely bring a smile to their faces.

Lastly, no matter how early or late my VICs arrive, I will always be there to greet them personally - nothing warms their hearts more than this gesture.

Beating the Fashion Week Traffic

A thoroughly pre-arranged chauffeur is critical to making the VVIC's experience seamless. There needs to be more than just booking a limousine service online. I always gather what matters most to the clients' transportation needs—do they prefer a driver who speaks their language? Do they have any special requests on the car size? Do they have any allergies to scent or fabric in the car, to name a few?

In addition, I will meet up with drivers to prepare them for proper client greetings, travel routines, and a sentence or two of the clients' local language to make them feel at home.

The Art of Seating Plan

It is one of the most important parts of a fashion week experience—to see and be seen at the show! Every client wishes to be seated in the front row; however, seats are usually arranged according to clients' significance, which considers spending, status, influence, and more.

For Private Clients, there's also subtlety around cultural sensitivity and personal relationships when considering who should sit next to whom.

One of the biggest highlights for the VVIPs is shaking hands and taking photos with designers and celebrities backstage. Believe it or not, Christopher Bailey used to remember clients by name. Clients all felt so seen and would proudly share the story with their friends for a long time.

Securing Return on Investment

The myth is that fashion shows are merely rewards for clients' loyalty. A clienteling expert would make it a trip of a lifetime for the clients and a profitable return on investment for the business.

Pre-styling appointments are hosted before clients' departure to select the latest wardrobes for the trip. Client appointments are also organised at the flagship store to explore the VIC lounge and market-only products. Finally, clients are brought to the showroom to pre-order next season's items to stay ahead of the fashion trend.

The objective is always to sincerely care for the client's interests while bringing your savviest business acumen to the table.

Whenever you are ready, here are the ways we can support you (or your business) to thrive in your industry:

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