This blog post has been updated for 2022!

There is a strong connection and mutual reliance between fashion bloggers and Fashion Week. Fashion bloggers love to attend the Fashion Week runway shows to get a sneak peek at upcoming fashion trends and of course to be there for the fabulous fashion moments. Fashion Week depends on bloggers to promote their events and keep the public intrigued and engaged with the allure of the fashion industry. If you’re a fashion blogger, attending and getting involved in Fashion Week can be a great source for content, exposure and networking. Win win for everyone!

Getting tickets to major fashion events like New York Fashion Week is no small task. These are highly coveted spots and there’s very limited quantities available. In this guide I will break down all the details on how the fashion industry works and reveal the hidden insider ways you can score tickets to major fashion events such as NYFW.

Also, I go into details about how volunteering to work at a major city Fashion Week can be your key to gaining valuable real-world fashion industry experience that can help you get connected and/or land a job in the fashion industry.

How to Get Tickets to New York Fashion Week

Everything to Know About Fashion Week

What is Fashion Week?

Fashion Week is a big deal in the fashion world because it is the unveiling of the designers’ collections for the upcoming season. This is the time when fashion brands and designers can show all their hard work to buyers and fashion publishers. Fashion enthusiasts love to get the chance to see the newest upcoming trends, color pallets and silhouettes. It’s the perpetuation of in with the new and out with the old.

Not only are there hundreds of runway fashion shows during Fashion Week, but also showcasing events, media events, parties, meet and greets, speaker series and more. Because there’s so many fashion industry people gathered in one place, everyone wants to take full advantage to promote their brand and connect with others who also work in the industry.

When Does Fashion Week Take Place?

Fashion Week in New York City happens twice a year. First in February for the fall and winter collections and then in September for the spring and summer collections. Fashion is always looking ahead so they don’t usually show the current season, although some designers like to break the rules and do “see now, buy now” for the current season.

Other cities and countries do their Fashion Week events throughout the year. There’s also resort and swim shows sprinkled through the summer months. Basically every major city has some sort of Fashion Week which means that no matter where you live there should be ample opportunities to get involved and volunteer.

How to Get Tickets to New York Fashion Week Runway Shows

In the United States New York Fashion Week is the center of the fashion universe and is the only place to be for hard core fashionistas. If you want to attend a NYFW runway show, here’s the lowdown on how it works in New York City.

There’s two types of fashion shows at NYFW - private industry shows that are only for designers, buyers and press and then there’s open to the public shows. Unless you’re a big name in the fashion industry, don’t expect to attend fashion shows featuring elite designer labels. These are reserved only for insider fashion industry people. Sorry to disappoint but you won’t be sitting front row at Gucci next to Anna Wintour.

But the good news is that there still are plenty of known names and up and coming fashion brands that have runway shows open to the public.

Top Vendors & Websites Selling Tickets to New York Fashion Week

NYFW All-Access Experience

You can find the NYFW runway show schedule on their website. You can see in the ledger which shows are private and which shows can be attended if you purchase the NYFW All-Access Experience. Tickets range between $500 - $1,500.

FWO FashionWeekOnline

FWO is the official coordinator to public fashion shows during NYFW. If you become a member of FWO you can get discounted tickets to NYFW, particularly for small and emerging designers. Their website will periodically post limited tickets for fashion events. If you’re a die hard fashion fan and really want to attend events at NYFW, I would be checking this website very often.

Fever NYC

In February 2022 Fever had New York Fashion Weeks tickets up for sale. I would check this website for possible tickets for sale in the weeks leading up to the next NYFW.

The Society Fashion Week

Another online spot for scoring NYFW tickets. They have a variety of tickets available including All Access VIP, Social Parties and Fashion Shows.

Fashion Production Company Websites

Some of the producers of the fashion shows sell tickets directly from their website. Check out Lan of Fashion and Art Hearts Fashion.

Secret Pro Tips to Scoring NYFW Tickets

When do NYFW Tickets Become Available to Buy?

You’ll start to see tickets for New York Fashion Week up for sale about 4 weeks before the event starts (this goes for both February and September). But it will most likely happen without warning and will sell out quickly. It will also be at random times in the weeks leading up to the first show.

Keep Checking Back to the Websites Often

Several sources have told me that often the tickets become available very last minute, including all the way up the first day of NYFW. If you can keep your schedule flexible then you might be able to score last minute tickets to an event.

How to Get Invited to Fashion Shows & Events at New York Fashion Week

I know several influencers who get invites every year to NTFW. They all have large following on social media, generally a minimum of 50,000 followers. They are also well connected with fashion PR agencies and brands. The point being that in order to get invited to big production events like NYFW you have to be very established and have put several years of work into building your brand and content.

I also think it’s worth mentioning that invites generally are sent to new and emerging fashion brands that are not as well known. The producers of these shows don’t want empty seats in their fashion show audience so they are covering all their bases by mass sending out invites to create a buzz around a less popular brand.

How to Connect with Fashion PR Professionals & Fashion Show Promoters

PR professionals and event promoters use media databases and email press releases to promote all kinds of events, including fashion shows and brand releases. Cision PR Newswire is a networking tool bloggers can sign up for free of charge. You can select the fashion category and you’ll receive email invitations and press releases for in-person events happening all over the country.

When you see a press release for a fashion event that you’d like to attend, send a professional pitch email with a proposal on how you could help promote their event. Be sure to include your followers and website analytics numbers to give them an idea of your influence reach.

How to Get Influencer Media Passes / Comp Tickets for Fashion Shows

It is common practice for large events to hold a certain number of tickets which are reserved for the media in order to promote the event. These media pass tickets are given away free of charge in exchange for free media coverage. Because seating is so limited at the big Fashion Week runway shows, it’s very challenging to obtain a media pass. But even so, here’s all the links you need to do outreach for your best shot at obtaining media passes to Fashion Week:

More Ways Bloggers Can Get Involved in NYFW

Catch Glimpses of NYFW from the Street

When I lived in New York City I remember very clearly walking through Manhattan during Fashion Week and seeing so many models and hearing DJ’s playing music.

NYFW events take place all over Manhattan, but a popular fashion show spot year-after-year is Spring Studios on 6 St Johns Ln in Tribeca. If you stalk the calendar of events and plan to be at the right place at the right time, you may catch celebrity and famous fashionista sightings from the sidewalk.

Meet with Brands During New York Fashion Week

Because there’s so many fashion industry brands and influencers in town at the same time, bloggers will often have private meetings or events with brands. This time is used to check out their latest collections and possibly pick up some free swag to share on their social media. This is a great opportunity to make dep

Attend Fashion Parties & Brand Events

There’s no shortage of happenings during the days surrounding Fashion Week. If you haven’t received any invitations to a party or event, keep checking event organizing sites like Meetup and Eventbrite for pop-ups and gatherings.

What Should You Wear to a Fashion Show?

Here’s the big question - do you have to wear the designer’s clothes to their fashion show? The answer is you don’t have to wear their designs from head to toe, but you should strive to have a statement piece from a prior collection. The big faux pas would be to wear another brand’s clothing and accessories front and center to the wrong show.

Whatever brand you end up wearing, your ensemble should tell a story about your personal style and brand. You should also be prepared to pose for street style fashion photos. The audience members of a fashion show can sometimes be as interesting to watch as the models on the runway.

I volunteered to be on the production staff for San Francisco Fashion Week.

My Experience Volunteering for Fashion Week

My interest in fashion began at an early age and continued well into my adult life. I first went to college to get my degree in Business Marketing and then went back again to get a second degree in Fashion Merchandising. I have worked in the fashion industry full-time in New York City as a Visual Merchandising Manager and as a Merchandiser for Levi Strauss Co. in San Francisco.

During the years when I was in school pursuing a a degree in fashion, I did a lot of internships and volunteer work in the fashion industry to gain real-life experience and fashion industry connections. This is very common in many industries and especially relevant in the fashion industry (Devil Wears Prada anyone?!).

The fashion industry is very competitive and it can be hard to land even an entry-level job at a reputable retail and design company. Having a robust resume with lots of legitimate work experiences is crucial, even if it means volunteering and working for free.

How I Got Started Volunteering for Fashion Week

While I was in college studying Fashion Merchandising I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Fashion Week in San Francisco was the closest one to me. I first came across SFFW when I was searching for fashion-related events on Meetup and they had an open meeting for volunteers to help with production of the San Francisco Fashion Week in 2015.

I was nervous going to a first meeting where I didn’t know anyone so I convinced my sister to go with me. The SFFW leadership team gave an overview of all the committees looking for help and went around the room and asked each person where they would like to volunteer.

What Type of Volunteer Jobs are There at Fashion Week?

I ultimately ended up spending several weeks attending meetings, working on projects from home and doing in-person and hands-on help at events.

The types of jobs and duties I had for Fashion Week were:

An assistant at a model casting.
Media outlets outreach.
Outreach and coordinating designers.
Outreach for makeup artists and hair stylists.
Worked on the social media team.
I even walked in the fashion blogger fashion show.

What was the best part of Volunteering for Fashion Week?

By far the best part of volunteering for Fashion Week was the people I met during those weeks. I found so many local peers who also love fashion and shared my interests. It was also an excellent way to network and get introduced to fashion industry professionals. It is now over 7 years later and I am still in touch with many of the people I met through this experience!

Runway show for San Francisco Fashion Week.

Males models for runway show at San Francisco Fashion Week.

Models for runway show at San Francisco Fashion Week.

How to Find Fashion Week Volunteer Opportunities in Your City

Volunteer Opportunities for All the Major Fashion Week Shows

If you’re interested in gaining fashion industry experience and want to work behind the scenes at one of the major fashion shows in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and more, here’s the contact list for all the major production companies that put on the shows. Send them an email and ask about how you can get involved.

Top 6 Fashion Production Companies for Fashion Week:

Art Hearts Fashion
IMG - Focus is their fashion division.
Flying Solo
Fashion Designers of Latin America
HiTechModa - You can fine the volunteer application here.
Lan of Fashion

The Negatives & Downsides to New York Fashion Week

I always strive to be truthful and transparent about all the topics that I cover. And I wouldn’t be telling the whole story if I didn’t talk about the negatives of NYFW. While it truly is a very glamorous and aspirational fashion event, there’s also cons that come with all the perks.

The Fashion Shows Tend to Be a Short Timeframe

Fashion enthusiasts who are not considered to be “industry insiders” will face many challenges and possibly big price tags to attend NYFW. The NY Post outlined a story where naive members of the public paid $1,500 to sit and watch a fashion show which they later learned only ran for 20 minutes. They later felt they hadn’t received their money’s worth. Buyer beware when it comes to spending big money on the Endeavor’s Experience Group NYFW packages.

Sometimes You Can’t Get Inside the Venue Even When You Have a Ticket

During the process of building this guide I reached out to several of my friends who regularly receive invitations to NYFW and have also attended. I’ve been told that sometimes even when you get invited and sent a ticket (or get put on the PR list), there’s still no guarantee of getting inside the fashion show. So my advice is always have a plan B when heading out to these events so you can try to make the most of it.

NYFW is Very Expensive

When you’re budgeting for an event like NYFW, the price you pay for your ticket is just the beginning of the list of expenses. Flying to NYC, booking a hotel, paying for Ubers around the city, dinning out, etc. are all out of pocket spending that will add up quickly. For a gal like me who lives in California, a trip to NYFW would probably cost me around $3,500.

When you’re planning your trips and thinking about all the content you’ll be creating from these types of events, it’s important to think strategically about all the ROI (return on the investment) and how this work will promote your personal blog brand. If you’re able to really hustle and make excellent connections with brands and industry professionals then it may be worth the price tag. You can also shoot lots of video and photography content that you later use to write blog posts and social media. My point is be tactical and deliberate when spending the time and money to attend NYFW.

NYC in February is Very Cold

I have lived through two winter seasons in New York City and very often the month of February is extremely cold and snowy. I have a friend who attended NYFW with a photographer and she said the ground was covered in slushy snow. Of course she had planned to wear cute outfits paired with heels and she said walking in between the designer showcases was miserable. My point is make sure you dress appropriately and be prepared for the cold weather and even hot temperatures in September.

Selfie in San Francisco before I head into a fashion show for San Francisco Fashion Week.

Hanging out at parties after the runway show at San Francisco Fashion Week.

Backstage at runway show for San Francisco Fashion Week.

My Top Tips to Surviving Fashion Week

After weeks of planning and 10 straight days of events and parties, San Francisco Fashion Week finally came to a close. For those unfamiliar with the phenomena know as Fashion Week, every major city across the globe has a marathon of events from runway shows, summits, expos and parties which celebrate the fashion of that city. Everyday you have a new venue, new outfit and a long list of to-dos.

In the weeks leading up to Fashion Week we had regular meetings and assignments to plan and execute such a big event. In preparation of the organized chaos, I devised some survival tactics to allow me to get the most out of the experience and get through the craziness.

Establish a Healthy Morning Routine

During the weeks leading up to Fashion Week (and of course during the week of Fashion Week) you’ll have a lot of very early mornings for planning meetings and setting up venues. Starting your days with a healthy morning routine will help you avoid exhaustion and burnout during this hectic time.

I advise you drink a cup of hot water and fresh lemon juice about an hour before you have your daily caffeine. This is a natural way to keep you energized and hydrated. Secondly, have a balanced breakfast with protein and healthy fats. You’ll have a much better time and actually enjoy yourself if your body feels nourished.

Water, water & more water

In order to keep your energy levels up you need to stay hydrated. This means no soda, no sugary juices, no energy drinks, etc. Make sure you're sipping from your water bottle throughout the entire day and evening. The only exception I will make is the low sugar Pressed Juicery Greens and Roots Cold-Pressed Juices because we could all use the boost of vitamins and minerals.

Skip the Booze

I know, I know! It sounds like I'm sucking all the fun out but trust me. At SFFW we had a steady flow of champagne, wine and beer which is very tempting after a stressful day of planning and rehearsals. But given that we had events daily, I just couldn't afford the hangover or possible migraine. If you must indulge, limit yourself to one drink and then drink a lot of water before bedtime. At the final closing party feel free to go nuts and when you wake up in the morning you'll realize why you held out all week ;)

Prioritize Getting Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep is probably the hardest one on this list. At SFFW you have nightly parties that keep you up past midnight and then you have to get up in the morning and go to work just to repeat it all again the next day. Prioritize and streamline your schedule to get as much zzz's as possible and squeeze in naps when possible.

Pick and Choose your Events

SFFW was 10 days straight of events and it is nearly impossible to attend everything. Plan ahead and pick the events that sound the most intriguing and you absolutely must attend. Make sure to also schedule downtime to decompress between events.

Plan Your Meals Ahead of Time

It is easy to fall into the trap of eating whatever food is available because you're running around. At fashion events the food situation can be unpredictable and in some cases there's only booze (dangerous combo). I found that planning my meals ahead of time was key in keeping my meals healthy.