The Fashion Industry Acts Up

In 2009, Vogue Magazine’s Anna Wintour created what is almost a charity of sorts. This one isn’t by the fashion industry, it is for the fashion industry. For the second year in a row, retailers in major cities opened their doors late and threw shopping parties. The point is to draw in crowds and increase sales.

The fashion industry has certainly seen sales drop in the last few years. At first it was a social return to crafting your own clothes and going retro with Goodwill finds. The fashion industry played along for a while, designing retro looking clothing in their fancy studios and behind their garage doors. But the designer label retro wasn’t vintage and it certainly didn’t have the Goodwill price tag. As the recession set in, the fashion industry experienced drastic sales declines. Somebody had to do something to keep the industry chugging along. Many designers were giving up comfortable work studios for home studios behind garage doors. Anna Wintour, the fashion industry’s fearless leader and frightful critic was the lady with the big idea.

This night of shopping in upscale boutiques is called Fashion Night Out. Designer boutiques that wish to participate stay open late and basically through designer parties that draw in the crowds. It is a night to shop among the stars. Each boutique recruits Hollywood darlings to sing, serve cocktails, and shop and mingle with the clients. Ever wanted to ask Bett Midler what size those red pumps come in? Fashion Night Out is your chance.

Fashion Night Out 2009 wasn’t quite a stunning success, though it was star studded and certainly dressed many people quite stunningly. The numbers after the fact showed that many designer boutiques spent at least as much hosting the parties as they made in sale—if not more. Even so, the fashion industry did it again in 2010. Many fashion designers cite the reason for continuing the event as the pure amount of fun and energy that goes with the event.
That makes sense. The fashion industry is as much about fun and energy as it is about looking great and making a statement. When sales are lagging and designers and models are working from behind closed garage doors, what better way to revitalize the industry and everybody in it than to throw a big party? The global recession is ending and consumers are once again pulling out their pocket books, especially for the nice items that they felt deprived of during scarier financial times. The fashion industry needs to keep up the good work as well as their energy and general level of fun. It won’t be long before the clothes are flying off the shelves again. Serving spirits while raising the spirits of those who make the fashion industry tick is a great way to boost the industry and get it looking forward to the golden days ahead.