What happens when a fashion show doesn’t allow guests to use their phones?
May
This occurred at The Row’s Fall/Winter 2024 Fashion Show, where the fashion house strictly prohibited guests from using their phones to share images of the event.
Summary of Content:
- Exclusivity
- Essence of exclusivity and luxury
- Impact of social media
In an era where every moment of a fashion show can quickly be posted on social media, what do guests do if they’re not allowed to use their phones to share on social platforms?
Exclusivity: Prior to The Row’s Fall/Winter 2024 show last Wednesday in Paris, guests received an email request: “We kindly remind you not to capture or share any content during the experience at the fashion show.” Instead of using phones, guests were given a notebook and pen to take notes by hand.
The Row Goes Dark for Paris Fashion Week The Row’s invitation. This request – immediately circulated on social media, naturally – raised questions about the significance of sharing images and videos from the runway on online platforms, as well as the message behind restricting that access.
On social media, some praised the nostalgia and refinement of this method. But others, like renowned fashion critic for The New York Times, Vanessa Friedman, expressed disappointment. She argued that this rule made it more difficult to meticulously appreciate the outfits appearing on the runway. Nevertheless, most people accepted this requirement.
“I think people worry that if caught filming, they won’t be invited to the next show,” shared Dazed’s Fashion Director Emma Davidson. Experiencing the show without technology is like an editor expected to record content for their magazine. It significantly affects Davidson’s consumption level of the collection. Banning phones also creates a lively atmosphere for networking.
Fashion shows are not just about showcasing garments. It’s seen as the most potent method to promote a brand’s new designs – and attract consumer attention. For guests, phones are the gateway connecting them to the outside world. The ubiquity of phones and social media has changed the essence of fashion shows. By eliminating phones, The Row implicitly proclaimed that the brand doesn’t need to lure consumer attention.
The Essence of Exclusivity and Luxury: Most of The Row’s fans cannot afford the brand’s ready-to-wear clothing at retail branches. Instead, these customers would queue for hours to hunt for products from sample sales or purchase second-hand items. Most of them would never receive an invitation to attend the elite fashion show.
The phone usage prohibition severed the only connection between fans and what was happening on the runway. “There’s no The Row store around me, so I have no way of knowing what’s happening firsthand. I can only find out through the internet. They know that,” expressed fashion collector Kim Russell. “This is The Row’s strategy to create a certain elite customer base and keep them engaged long-term.”
Leveraging the benefits of inaccessibility is the brand’s intention, said fashion theorist Rian Phin. “When people don’t actually own the designs, they tend to speculate more on the brand’s symbolic significance rather than believing in the product’s quality.” “So, The Row’s priority is to impose rules on exclusivity and essence to maintain the brand’s identity.”
Impact of Social Media: With the enormous cost of operating a fashion show, for most brands, Media Impact Value (MIV) leading to sales is a top priority. In a report released last season, Launchmetrics stated that nearly half of the media value related to fashion week content originates from Instagram.
The numbers show why in recent seasons, many designers have prioritized arranging for influencers with a massive following on social media to sit in prime positions, with the hope that images of the show will spread widely. That’s also why some shows have “media plans” scripted in advance, like Coperni’s fog dress in 2022, and why other shows focus on inviting top-tier celebrities.
For instance, after Tory Burch invited Emily Ratajkowski to strut on the catwalk in the Fall/Winter 2024 show, and had Awkwafina sit in the front row, the interaction with the fashion house’s social media accounts increased by 455% after the show, compared to an 80% growth in Spring/Summer 2023, according to Trendalytics.
All these actions are done to create “buzz” on social media. By going against that trend, The Row let the garments speak for themselves.
The Row Fall 2024 A robust communication strategy not only brings in massive viewership driven by influencers but also, recording the show in real-time through official and unofficial online forms can make consumers feel engaged with the brand’s message and want to own the designs. They might not be there physically, but they’re seeing the outfits in every moment, enjoying the music, and witnessing the runway at its best angle.
“The media influence from a fashion show creates a unique experience and is a great opportunity for brands to boost sales,” Phin disclosed. Even if people don’t have the ability to buy the designs, they will buy the story – and buy what they can, like a pair of Margiela’s Tabis Boots or the MM6 fashion line, immediately. “I will definitely hunt for vintage items from a brand after enjoying an interesting show,” Russell said.
Whether The Row’s no-social-media policy was planned to be different or not, the influence of this strategy cannot be denied. The fashion house not only actively controls when the collection is widely revealed and through which means but also, creates excitement and allure when released later. Ultimately, The Row got us all talking about it – the debate about not using phones – when we haven’t even seen the designs on the runway yet.
