Words by April Knight
When first starting at TFI, one aspect I was looking forward to was the opportunity to assist on AAFW. Not only was I able to attend the shows, but I was approached by Bespoke PR & Digital to become a part of the team for the week and help with the behind the scenes PR aspect of Fashion Week.
My week started out at head office, assisting with consecutive appointments with beautiful talent & creators including Lauren Burns, Emily Gurr, Isabelle Mathers & Bella Varelis. The constant flow of people coming in & out of the office, hiring out samples and booking couriers gave me a real insight into the fast pace of PR.
Show One:
The first show I assisted on was Bespoke’s client Yousef Akbar. Before the show, I was fortunate enough to meet Yousef & his team, go backstage and meet the models, watch the hair and makeup process and all of the pre-show nerves. One of my main roles during the week was to make sure the entrance for guests ran smoothly, creating a one on one personable interaction & providing some background information on Yousef. The show itself was stunning. Yousef’s pieces are unlike anything else, a combination of shimmer, vibrancy & structure. It was by far one of the most beautiful collections I have seen.
Post show, we returned back to the office to prep for the next.
Show Two:
Show two was The Innovators by FDS (Fashion Design Studio), this show consisted of five student designers; Alexander Lyon, Alexandra Dowsing, Charles Kennedy, Thomas Anderson and Thomas Zilioli, who created bespoke pieces as part of their course. This was our biggest show, the audience consisted of over four hundred guests ranging from family and friends to press. The mantra behind the show was Genderless Fashion & Ageless Beauty. It encompassed creativity, diversity and the future of fashion.
The show was inspiring. The student’s immense talent was showcased through diverse range of models including drag queen ‘Etcetera Etcetera’.
Show Three:
My last show was St Agni. Prepping for our final client was exciting, nerve racking & difficult. Our audience consisted of highly regarded magazines & people of influence. Watching the team organise seating for two hundred guests, one by one made me realise how much pressure there is to make sure enough coverage and impressions are made from the fifteen-minute show. St Agni collection featured tailored linen creating seamless elegance with a hint of Bryon Bay. The show went perfectly.
And in the blink of an eye, it was done. It is so crazy to see how much work is done behind the scenes for fashion shows. Assisting Bespoke PR & Digital was an experience unlike any other, providing me with first hand insight into the life of a PR worker during AAFW. The team made my very first Fashion Week so enjoyable, giving me responsibilities to accelerate my skills for the next time I work in this environment.
The Fashion Institute constantly presents me with opportunities that I once could only dream of, and I can’t wait for what else the rest of the year at TFI has in store for me.