Episode 23: Behind the Runway - Exploring the Key Roles in Fashion Shows | Mastering the Production Series, Part 3

0:00 Hey, hey, welcome to Marketing EdVenture Episode 23. Now we have talked about, in this fashion production series, we've talked about the history of the fashion shows. We've talked about the types of fashion shows. Let's get into the roles, because there are many key roles that are played in a fashion show. And even though there are key roles, there are teams to support these roles as well. So we're gonna go over these seven different key roles for a fashion show. So come on in, and let's begin the discussion.

0:43 You're listening to Marketing EdVenture, the hub for business, fashion, marketing, and other CTE educators who integrate marketing into the learning experience. I'm your host, Jacque' Walker. Each week, I'll cover marketing, education concepts, strategies, tips, trends, frameworks, and other information to equip you to connect your classroom to digital natives while cultivating an engaged learning environment. So come on into the room, where your favorite beverage snacks, and even your cell phone are all welcome.

1:21 So the seven key roles in a fashion show production are a fashion show director, the merchandise coordinator, the model coordinator, the stage manager, the promotions coordinator, the logistics coordinator, and the commentary coordinator. So let's get into the details of all of these because they all play very key roles.

1:55 First up is the fashion show director. Now this is the person that is responsible for overseeing the production of the show. They are your point, man, or woman. And they are involved in all of the planning and organizing all of the details of the show. They are responsible for delegating tasks. And they must have great communication skills because they have to communicate with everyone. And everyone is looking to them to ensure that they are on track with what they're doing.

2:38 They also have to maintain a good record of all of the plans for a fashion show. They call this the fashion show production Bible. So they have a book, they shouldn't have a book that has all of the details. From the time that they create the outline of what the fashion show is going to be about all of the roles, what everyone is doing the meaning information, everything equally, okay. And they troubleshoot issues within the full time of the planning and production of the show. And even at the time of the show, they are troubleshooting any kind of issues that may pop up. They are responsible for keeping all of the deliverables on task and making sure that they're meeting the production schedule. They also work with each team to make sure the tasks are complete. So you know, a lot of times my students would find that when they were the fashion show director doing something like a soccer game you can do what I would have to tell them, your job is to go around to each group to make sure they're on task, what they need to do. They've done that and they still find it, you know, they've taken care of everything.

4:03 If there was a group that needed help, let's say for the stage manager, that team may have needed help with creating perps. So then they can go in and fill in that space and help them with the creation of the props. Or if there was something going on with the merchandise they can help the Merchandise Manager so they feel in with the various teams that are working so they can help them catch up to make sure that they complete their task on time.

4:34 And like I said, they're also responsible for communicating with all departments yet they're really communication skills. So they would make sure that they communicate with either the retailer designers, along with the merchandise coordinator, make sure that they're communicating with this wrist is the school that I taught in in which we produce the fashion show.

4:56 We it's a magnet school and so there are A lot of magnet magnet programs. And so we use the graphics program, we use the audio visual program, we will use the floriculture program and the architecture program to help with things that we need for the fashion show. So it'd be the fresh show producer's job along with whatever team that they're working with, to go to that group. And, you know, talk with them about expectations, what they were looking for, in this keep that communication going on throughout the time of production for the fashion show. So that person has to have their hands on every facet of the fashion show. That is your Fashion Show Director.

5:50 Next, we're going to talk about the merchandise coordinator. Now by the name, they are in charge of merchandise. So that person would be the one who would select the merchandise, and I say that they're selecting the merchandise. Now, I'm talking about the environment from when I taught, and my students did fashion production, they didn't necessarily have to select the merchandise when we were using our fashion design program, they would be in charge of communicating with the designers. But when we did use retailers, because we did at one point and craft shows where we used retailers. So the mash, the merchandise coordinator, along with the fashion show director and the model call coordinator would go to the retailers and select merchandise based upon the theme that we have chosen for the show. So the merchandise coordinator is in charge of the selection of the merchandise. They do it in collaboration with other team members as linens.

6:57 Now they work closely, like I said, with the designers and the merchants, for the clothing. They're going to be that point of contact that is reaching out to those people and also staying in touch with them throughout the time to secure recording for the fashion show. Again, they coordinate the outfits for the models and in partnership with the model coordinator. So that is truly a role that requires both of those coordinators to be involved. Because you have to know the sizes of the models which the model coordinator is over. And then you have to know what the designers are creating, or what type of merchandise you're borrowing from a retailer. So they coordinate the outfits for the models in partnership with the monitor.

7:51 They also are responsible for developing building contract loans. So whenever we borrow merchandise from a retailer, we have a form that has to be filled out so that we know the clothing we borrowed from the retailer. All of the retailers information from the tag that is on the merchandise. So you definitely want to make sure that you are keeping track of that. So when you return the merchandise you have a list of the merchandise that you've purchased. And also the contract should include anything that has to do with the condition of the merchandise when you return it. All those things should be outlined in your contract. And I have those as an example of what you can include.

8:45 They also are responsible for selecting the accessories, the shoes and the props for the outfits for the models. And they coordinate the volunteers that will be assisting on the date of the fashion show because we bring in assistance to help with merchandising, remodels or folding the models making sure their outfits are ready for them and that they have what they need and that everything is given to them and outlined in sequence that they will look here in the fashion shops. So they are definitely responsible for that.

9:22 And then they also manage certain forms that help with the organization of the fashion show. And these forms are like your fitting sheets, your ideal charts and your individual model lineup sheets. So those are all key forms that are necessary to have organized and professional fashion shows. So these are all the responsibilities of the merchandise coordinator.

9:50 Next we have a model coordinator. Now the model coordinator is a very key role. It's probably second inline. So you have your fashion show director, your model coordinator, and then your merchandise coordinator and all of the other positions. But your model coordinator is very key because this is the person that is overseeing everything with the models. So they will be the one who will conduct the model call. That means they're overseeing everything that has to do with the planning of the model call. And they are the one who determines the number of models needed, based on merchandise that has been selected, or just the plan that has been put together for the fashion show.

10:40 They're the ones who conduct the choreography of the fashion show. And they, along with the fashion show director, and the other key members of the fashion show. They select the models for the fashion shows. They're in charge of overseeing all of the detailed information tracking, putting the models into the system, and coming up with the model profile. The registration forms where the models for the model call, monitor those details, that is the model coordinator who is responsible for that information.

11:22 They work very closely with the fashion show director and the merchandise coordinator to assign outfits to the models. Because it's a team effort, really, when you're looking at the models, and looking at the outfits that are available, and developing the outline of where the models are going to fit and show and all of that. So the model coordinator does work very closely with those other two key roles to make those determinations. And they work with the model. The merchandise coordinator, as I stated previously, to make sure that the models are fitted for their outfits, they work very closely with the stage manager.

12:05 For the runway details. As you can see, the model coordinator is like the center of the fashion show. And they're working with all of these different departments within the fashion show to make sure things are going off perfectly. Okay. They oversee the model practices. So the model coordinator has to be at every single practice, they oversee the practices. So they're the ones in charge of what's happening at the practice, keeping the models in line, making sure the models know how to do their walks, all those things that have to do with practicing for the fashion show, they manage the models, including having attendance trackers, and making sure that the model profile sheets are up to date in all the things that are needed to keep track of the models like the model can track all of those things, that is the model coordinator, their teams, all of these positions except for the Fashion director, have a team that works with them. how many students you have in your program,

13:16 There are times when my program was very lean. So we only have one person in each team area, or maybe one person in a run as an assistant. But anyhow, they got it done. They worked as a team all together to make sure all the areas were covered. All right.

13:35 So continuing with the model coordinator, they also manage some forms for the fashion show as well. They have input on the fitting sheets, the ideal chart, and the individual model lineup sheets in coordination with the merchandise coordinator, because we're dealing with the models. So the model coordinator has to help with management and have their input.

14:02 All right, so after the model coordinator, let's talk about the stage manager. This is a very key person in every role is very key in its own right because every one of these things, areas have to be on point with the fashion show in order for it to go off well. Okay, so your stage director, this is the person who has everything to do with the stage, the runway presentation of a fashion show. So they are the one who either secures the location or works with the fashion show director or the teacher to secure the fashion show location.

14:46 And they then create some runway suggestions so that the team can make a decision on how they want a runway to be there. They move forward to secure the runway equipment. So whether that's renting a stage or runway platform, or whatever is needed, the stage manager is responsible for that. They work with the fashion show director and the model coordinator to finalize some runway details.

15:23 And they also ensure all stage details are taken care of, such as the lighting, curtains, the equipment, the sound, everything that has to do with the stage environment, they are the ones who are taking care of all those details.

15:42 They along with their team create props for the fashion show. They also design stage elements, whether it's backdrops or things of that nature, I'm gonna tell you, we've had all sorts of things on the stage, we had our architecture cluster, create a surface, I guess front that you want to say that the models walked through, it was really nice, it was very detailed, and it was a huge audience. We've had, we've had platforms and platforms. But we've had these background boards built by our construction cluster, so that they can serve as backdrops and that when they have wheels on them, we can move them around. So the stage manager was responsible for getting that taken care of.

16:43 So there's a lot of things with the stage that the stage manager is responsible for. And all those different design elements that have to show come to life. So they coordinate with vendors and groups within our school campus or outside of our school campus to provide decorations, props and things of that nature. As I said before, we work with our flora culture cluster. They're the ones who create them, Flower, flower designs, they can do balloon artists, all those things that help set the environment for the stage. You know, we worked with those various teams. And so the stage manager was responsible for working directly with them to ensure they understood the details of what we were looking for and to get the job accomplished. And they also ate the playlist for my show. So as a, huh, all the teeth, everyone, all the fashion students would come together.

17:46 And they would actually determine what type of music they wanted for each thing. And then the stage director was responsible for getting the music in a playlist together, or practice and having the playlist put together for the show. And they were responsible for either getting a DJ, or someone to play the music for the show. And you may hear me using stage manager and stage director interchangeably. We did that most of the time. I think we call them a stage manager. So the words can be used interchangeably, just depending on how you want to title it. Okay, continuing on, so that like I said, they just secured a DJ or someone to play the music. And then they coordinated the entertainment because most times, these days, you want to kick off your show with some type of entertainment that's gonna capture the audience's attention and get them excited and revved up for the show. So we usually had a kick off. So there'll be a dance routine, most times. And that would generally be like our dance group with our school or our real team. There’s a performing arts school in our district. So we would bring in dancers from the performing arts school. Sometimes it could be a band that's playing some music, and we could be our school band, it could be a jazz ensemble, it could be any of those entertainment elements. So they were responsible for coordinating the entertainment with those various groups of people for our kickoff when for our intermission, because we always did an intermission during the finish and show.

19:28 Then they also contributed to filling out the ideal chart because the ideal chart has things on it. And so the stage manager would need to be sure that they knew what props, entertainment, and different things were needed for each scene, so that they can make sure that they created those things or secured those items. So that is the whole realm of responsibilities at this age manager hat.

19:59 Next, let's talk about promotions. This is a very key role. And as I said, they're all key roles in their own lanes. But we don't promote the fashion show, nobody will know. So getting the message out there about fashion shows is the job of the promotions coordinator. Now, they have had the task of developing the advertising details for the fashion show. And they have to use various mediums to promote the fashion show that is from written, audio and visual, they were the ones that coordinated all of the tasks that had to do with those they worked with on our campus.

20:51 And this is a suggestion for everyone, if you have this available on your campus is to work with the graphics department, the graphics, art department, or your art department, whoever you have, that has digital creative talents, work with that group to create your work that you're going to need. So that includes designing the tickets, the fliers, the programs, working with those teams, those groups, those organizations, those clusters, whatever they're called, to get those things designed. And that way you can take the image that they create and take it to get printed. In our school, we did have a print printing, and imaging cluster. So they were responsible for printing out our programs, our tickets, and things of that nature. So it was really awesome, really awesome to be in a real technical environment, where you have the CTE programs that are so multi-talented, and have the resources to contribute to your fashion show. Because that is like a city within your campus. You can go to these different departments, run them to work and collaborate with them to get the things that you need done just like you would do if the students were out in the real world and had to go to these different companies to get work done.

22:26 So getting back on track here, the promotions coordinator is also responsible for creating the press release, that you will release to the student, the student newspaper, to the local radio, to the news or whoever the outlet is that they want to communicate to it could be to the middle schools or you know what have you, or even the district's newsletter. They're also responsible for creating them. This wonderful media kit that we were put together that we mostly sent to our middle school counselors, because we wanted to increase the awareness of our program, and have the middle schoolers come to our fashion show. So they can see what wonderful things we were doing. And you know, it's a recruiting tool. So we put that media kit together and sent that out to all of the counselors. So they will be fully aware of what our program is doing. So those are the sort of things that the promotions coordinator would do. So they had a very key role in getting the message out about the fashion show. That's very key.

23:38 All right, moving on into the logistics coordinator. Now, to tell you that we did not have these last two positions. We did not have them as separate roles from the other positions. I think it's really key, having produced fashion shows over 12 years with some things. It's very key to have these two roles to be separate. But they still work in conjunction with the other roles, mainly with the fashion show director and with promotions and stage.

24:19 So the logistics coordinator will be responsible for securing the show locations in conjunction with a stage manager and making sure that the meeting rooms were identified now on our school campus, where our auditorium is located. The location we had our fashion shows, but there were two rooms that were off to the side, which were the band room and the choir room. And those would be our locations for the session show. There may have been times when the band room may not have been available. So we did have to secure a teacher's lounge for the males to use as the change room. So it's just making sure that all of the logistics are taken care of, as it relates to the fashion show. So everyone knows where the models will be, and how you know just how the setup is going to be during the production time of the fashion show.

25:24 So, they would also create a design diagram, this person will be responsible for creating a diagram of the facility location, where the audience would be and where the facts show will be held, where the where the change rooms are very key, so that we can have an overall look of where everything was going to be done, where the admissions table is going to be, part of the flow of audience would go as they enter into the facility, all of those things, this all was under the stage manager, which was a lot. They didn't have enough people on their team. So I think it's really key just to single out this role, to make sure that you have one person who's in charge and allocated to taking care of these responsibilities. With on that diagram, or this the auditorium or the location of the facility, they will also be responsible for making sure there was VIP seating, general mark out where the general seating is or any reserved seating. So they will be responsible for not only labeling that on the diagram, but also at the facility, making sure there are signs to indicate these things.

26:38 they would investigate the security needs and operations. A lot of times, security is required, especially like on our students in our school campuses, we were required to make sure that there was a district officer who was on site at the time of our fashion shows. So they would just, you know, work with our school campus and district to make sure that we have that in place, and that the officer knows who they are. And they have has a point of contact to speak to during the show. They also provide any kind of cost analysis they had to do with any kind of security that we may have needed for the fashion show there will be responsible for overseeing every aspect of security at the model Hall, like practice, and it's actually shows because before, anytime we did any after school activities, we had to have district officers available. And then we just have to make sure that our environment was secure, making sure that the doors were locked, where they needed to be locked. There were no in and outs or anything like that. So that just would be responsible for overseeing those logistics of securing the environment. They also would be responsible on the day of the show, making sure that they have coordinated the volunteers for the day of the show to work the admissions area. Good Gore's to try no one's coming in doors that should not be open around the fastest show area. Make sure that they have greeters, ushers, floaters and all the people in place for the operation of the fashion show. So that's your logistics coordinator. That's a lot to be responsible for, because you're talking about security, and making sure that placement is all outlined for the audience and for the workforce.

28:39 So next, we have a commentary coordinator. And this generally would fall up under it used to initially when I started doing the fashion show would fall under the stage manager, because they're part of the show and the coordination of everything that's happening on the stage, right. But they also would coordinate with the promotions manager because they're, you're talking about promoting the show. So I feel like this position should be on its own. Because they're going to be writing the scripts for the fashion show, they'll have to coordinate with the merchandise coordinator in the model coordinator to make sure that they have the information for the different segments and for the outfits so they can say little things about the outfits as they come out. They need to know the designers names, all of that key information. It's just like hosting the Grammys or any show that you see on TV. So your commentary coordinator has to know all the details in a fashion show. So they do need to work with those two positions specifically for scripting.

29:46 And then they would have to collaborate with the promotions coordinator who create announcements that will come on our announcements during school at the beginning of school and then they will also have to do audio and visual to send out on social media to send to the press ever, they want to promote the show, you should have your commentary coordinator, working with the promotions coordinator to develop that they're going to be the voice, they're going to be the face of the message about the show. So this has to be a person who's not camera shy, who has personality, we've actually had theater kids come in and do our commentary for us, because the utricle, very engaging the act. So that's a good idea to bring someone in, who could do that. So they may not be in your program, but they could at the time, be the person who is doing the speaking. So your commentary coordinator could come up with all of the information and then give that information to the person who's actually going to be doing the speaking during the show or who may be speaking for you in your promos. Okay?

30:59 So they can actually host the fashion show, if like I say, if the commentary coordinator is not the one who's going to speak in maybe you audition, they have someone who is actually going to speak and have a look, we did CT that person, I mean, it's ideal to have a book created anyway, for each segment, so that you will have notes on what you're going to speak about during the show. So the whole idea for the chemistry coordinator is to come up with the message that has been delivered during the show, and for the ads and promos for the show.

31:39 Alright, so there you have it. That concludes all seven of the key roles for the fashion show. Now, as I said before, each of these areas have a lot of responsibilities. So it is ideal to have a team of people. Now in my time as a fashion marketing teacher, only my students produce the fashion show. We didn't have any outside students come in to help with production of the fashion show. As far as you know all the details. Now we did have the different magnet programs that we collaborated with, to provide some key things that we needed for the fashion show. And we had the audiovisual magnet program to videotape the fashion show, we had the photography program to come and take pictures of the fashion show. So we did include all of these magnet programs in our production. But as far as the work that was being done to make things happen for the fashion show, it was just my students.

32:46 Now I know a lot of teachers have clubs that you create after school programs that students can participate in, who are not necessarily a part of your marketing session marketing program. And it's key, I wouldn't have loved to have done that. And that's one thing that I really wanted to move toward. But it was just a lot, because I was already doing a lot in my program. I had dual credit, I had my DACA program. And then I had, you know, not renewer ship Academy. So there were a lot of moving parts. So there wasn't a lot of time for me to really try to organize an after school program that included other students. So if you are in a program that includes other students, wonderful, because then you probably have enough students available to create really good teams. So I'd say at least three people to a team. But if you have more students, great. Make sure that they have the talents and skills and will be an active participant who can give some great contribution to those teams to get the task accomplished. Because it does take a lot to manage all of these different teams. And you do have your fashion show director who will be overseeing that, but of course, they're teenagers. And so you as the sponsor, as the teacher, as the advisor, whatever your role is, definitely worked as the ultimate project manager for the fashion show.

34:19 So this definitely helps you understand the different roles and responsibilities that are needed for a fashion show. And we look forward to seeing your fashion show production posted on Instagram and well things are going with your fashion show. I do thank you for coming to Marketing EdVenture and listening in on this 11 part series of Fashion Show Production. Stay tuned for the next episode in which I will be talking about theme development and creating a story but you don't want to miss that. Do Thank you for being a part of the Marketing EdVenture community as an adventurous educator, and that you have a wonderfully blessed day.

35:12 I do hope that you find value with this fashion show production series. It's something I've wanted to do for years because the fashion shows have so many moving parts. And of course, when you're managing students who are doing it as well, it really is a project management situation. So what I intend to do is have a video series for Fashion Show production, along with documents that I used when I was overseeing the fashion show production. And even some snippets of when I was actually managing my students, and a highlight of the fashion shows that we actually did with pictures and video. So there's just a lot of things that I plan to release. Once I'm done with this whole series about fashion show production that I will make available to us. So stay tuned for that bundle of resources and information to be made available. I look forward to you having access to that. And I also look forward to hearing about your fashion show productions and seeing them on Instagram. So be sure to connect with me at marketing EdVenture on Instagram so that I can see all the wonderful work that you're doing with your fashion program.

36:47 Thanks for listening to Marketing EdVenture. Remember to subscribe, rate, review and share this episode with someone you think could benefit from the information shared here today. If you have any questions or want to connect with me, find me on Instagram and Marketing EdVenture. All links and resources discussed in this episode can be found in the show notes at marketingedventure.com.