Inside the Fashion Week Gift Bags

Inside the Fashion Week Gift Bags

gift_bagsf0401_ciNEW YORK, Feb 12, 2004/ FW/ — One of the good things about covering New York Fashion Week is the gift bags or goodie bags which are given to the members of the press and guests. It is a graceful way to say “thank you” by 7th on Sixth and the designers for those attending the shows.

First day of the shows, the press gift bags are distributed to the accredited members of the press. This season, everyone received the 7th on Sixth bag which says, “Olympus Fashion Week,” and herewith contained gifts from Redken, MAC Cosmetics and Johnson & Johnson products, which by the way, are all sponsors of fashion week.

As each runway shows are presented, guests also receive gift bags from the designers ranging from perfumes (like what John Varvatos gave) to pantyliners (given by Tracy Reese.)

And if you’re wondering why there are such a wide variety of products given, it is because most gift bags are given by sponsors to the specific runway show.

For big houses like John Varvatos, they usually give something that is part of their product line, like the John Varvatos perfume.

And for emerging designers like Tracy Reese, who usually depend on sponsors to finance their shows, their gift bags contain products from their sponsors.

For emerging designers, sponsorships are the crux of the matter when presenting a runway show.

Producing is runway show is very expensive. Expenses can run into thousands of dollars because the venue, the models, and the staff to run the show all cost money.

For talented designers like Tracy Reese who is just breaking into the market, she has to design her collection, and then find sponsorship money to finance her show.

Ecco Domani, an Italian wine company sponsored five young designers this season by giving grants of $20,000 apiece. Doo.Ri, who showed at MAO Space, is one of the recipients.

In her gift bag is a bottle of Ecco Domani wine, as expected.

New York is the most generous city when it comes to gift bags during fashion week. Though designers in London, Milan and Paris also give gift bags at their shows, those are few and far between.

It is only during New York Fashion Week that in almost every show, guests come out carrying a little goodie bag. Los Angeles Fashion Week, which is also produced by 7th on Sixth, follows New York’s tradition.

[MARI DAVIS]