Unit 19 : Job roles and responsibilities

• The production team

Many times, designers will hire a production company to create their vision and piece together every single aspect of the show. The producer is the person/team who works closest to the designer, ensuring that every decision made reflects the brand’s aesthetic and the vision of the show. They are the glue that holds the entire event together and usually are in charge of overseeing every detail down to the lighting, sound and even the color of the benches guests will sit on.

Behind the scenes on the day of the show, the producer will oversee model timings, choreography, music and lighting. The production team is also in charge of setup and breakdown, knows the show space the best and therefore is usually the team you will see wearing headsets and controlling traffic backstage during the madness. If you’ve ever worked backstage during Fashion Week, you’ll know that they are the people you go to with a question and also the ones you clear the way for anytime you see them running (they are always running!).

• The PR team

Depending on the size of the brand, the Public Relations team may have different roles before, during and after a show presented during Fashion Week.

Some of the most important responsibilities a publicist has include: inviting press for show day coverage, managing editors backstage, arranging seating charts, overseeing RSVP lists and communicating needs for VIP accommodations and green room interviews. They are the keepers of “the guest list” and have the power to admit or turn away anyone at the door.

Some PR teams are known to work closer to designers on the actual layout, production and timeline of the show while others are in-house teams that know the brand aesthetic and can easily relay the narrative for the season’s collection statement to the press.

• Stylists + Collection coordinators + Model dressers

While these roles don’t fall under the same team, they do work together very closely behind the scenes and are vital to the success of the show.

Stylists are usually hired in-house by the brand and/or designer and will often have their own small team with one main stylist that is in charge of the rest. They work hand in hand with the designer long before Fashion Week to select the looks – from clothing down to shoes, jewelry and any additional accessories.

Many images are taken and a board, known as the Run of Show, is created with each look numbered and listed in various areas backstage. Once final looks are selected, the Collection Coordinators create small, individual boards – one per look. On each board, they list out every single item the model will wear for the look, specific styling instructions and any additional notes. These mini boards are placed strategically on racks with their corresponding looks backstage for dressers to reference when dressing their model.

Model dressers are oftentimes volunteers whose only responsibility is making sure the model(s) they are assigned are ready with their looks during the show. A dresser could sometimes be assigned multiple models to dress or have 1 model with multiple looks, called quick changes. Usually, these responsibilities go to seasoned dressers who can handle the speed and demands this role can have.

• Hair & Makeup (HMU)

No fashion show can go on without the incredible work of the hair and makeup teams. Similar to all the others, these teams also have a lead and various assistants for each area of work. By working closely with the designer and lead stylist, hair and makeup teams are able to create the show’s overall visual aesthetic that is cohesive with the collection.

Various rounds of tests are done in the days leading up to the show, sometimes even on the day of. From there, the leads create a similar board of information that breaks down all the details for the stylists that will be working on models backstage the day of the show. The types of styles and colors used can be outrageous and time consuming, making the stylists’ jobs stressful if models arrive later than scheduled due to delays from other shows they’re coming from.

Designers like the late Alexander McQueen were notorious for using hair and makeup as an integral part of the show and an unmistakable element in the fantasy he produced season after season.

IN THE END, the production of a fashion show, especially during Fashion Week, takes an enormous amount of organization, flexibility and teamwork to successfully execute. Every single person that is working behind the scenes has a job to do and is essential in the hierarchy of responsibilities – from producers to runners to volunteers