COLLECTIONS ARE ART, THEY NEED EDITING.

Liucilla Booyzen, South African Fashion Week (SAFW) CEO said that what has carried her through fashion weeks and what she has invested her life in is the new designs, innovation, ideas and the energies she experiences each year of it on an interview with Fashion Lab Africa TV.

Fashion weeks provide a billboard platform for designers, makeup artists, models and ‘all back end’ fashion jobs to express and sell themselves. They provide market, publicity, networking and they give brands a larger audience. They bring in business and SAFW has provided this for African designers for close to 20 years now. During SAFW AW 2018 highlights radio show on FLA, guests Leon Haasbroek, Operations & PR Executive, Interior Designer Alan Foley, Eji Benson from Ennui New York and host Liz Ogumbo gave interesting highlights of the SAFW and the lessons that can be learnt from the business side of it.

Models play a key part in selling a brand, they highlight the designer’s craft and tell the story behind a brand making what Leon Hassbroek calls editing of models crucial when presenting a collection. Modeling schools and agencies need to be developed as Alan and Leon put it. The schools and agencies need to be able to provide training on the business side of modeling. A model’s grooming, walk and work ethic are crucial in selling a brand. They pointed out that models need to understand fashion weeks and the marketing platform they provide for them, if they do not meet the market’s standards they miss on being booked by potential clients.

#Denimania by Liz Ogumbo SAFW AW18

When asked by Liz Ogumbo on what lacked from designers and brands from SAFW AW 2018, they expressed that there was need for designers and brands to understand themselves and to be able to marry the business side of the industry. Brands and designers need to take advantage of the publicity opportunities that come with fashion weeks. Buyer’s lounges for instance provide an opportunity for publicist and buyers to inspect how the products have been made up close, which in return clings you long term clients for brands. Opening parties on the other hand not only bring fun but provide a more relaxed atmosphere for designers to network and sell themselves to publicist, manufacturers, celebrities and key buyers and designers need to take a hold of this free publicity to sustainably beat the fashion industry.

Business interactions must make sense for both parties in order to last and consistent effort and willingness, season after season build strong, lasting brands. Brands need to stay up to date and to adjust their presentation to the market’s demands so as to increase customer satisfaction and commercial success. FLA SAFW AW18 highlights FLA radio show gave interesting highlights and the leassons to learn from SAFW. Players in all walks of the fashion business need to have a keen attention to the business aspect of fashion weeks for a long-lasting success in the industry. 

If you’d like to have a listen to the show, check out FLA website as Leon Haasbroek, Alan Foley, Eji Benson and hosts Liz Ogumbo interestingly give more highlights on a range of other issues of the SAFW AW18.