In this edition of the Glossy+ Research Briefing, we analyze the cost of putting on a show during New York Fashion Week for small independent brands and what they’re doing to gain visibility.
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NYFW can be costly for independent brands like Collina Strada and Willy Chavarria
News reports coming out of last fall’s New York Fashion Week (NYFW) revealed independent designers Peter Do, Collina Strada and Willy Chavarria spent between $300,000 to half a million dollars to deliver their spring/summer 2024 show. Their costs included show set-up, lighting, audio, catering, casting directors, stylists, publicists and other personnel needed to run the shows — outside of the growing cost of producing a collection, from pattern-making to raw materials and labor. We can only expect expenses to be higher this year with prices for labor, raw materials and studio space continuing to rise.
But it seems that brands are being more selective about choosing whether to participate in NYFW. The number of presenting designers has dropped during the past few years compared to years past when about 100 designers would present at NYFW. Only 70 designers participated last year, and this year 85 presented IRL or digitally. Collina Strada and Willy Chavarria continued to participate in NYFW this year, but Peter Do was absent from the NYFW schedule this September.
A menswear designer who was considering returning to runway shows last year, told GQ anonymously that one reason for returning is the massive amount of social media impressions a designer can gather from just one show. “You look at the social media impressions you get from a runway show, and it can be in the billions. Which is what we would get in an entire year otherwise, just from one event,” he said.
Collina Strada’s creative director Hillary Taymour told Glossy the average cost of putting on a show for her brand is $400,000. But the high cost is worth the exposure and social media buzz created from a show, according to Taymour. “Half of the brands [at NYFW] would not invest in a show if they felt they didn’t have to,” for exposure, Taymour said. “But I love to show.”
Taymour definitely put on a show for this year’s Collina Strada SS25 show. The show’s theme was “Touch Grass”, a command models took quite literally. As seen in this TikTok posted by Harper’s Bazaar, some models rolled around on the ground, flinging grass and dirt, while others nonchalantly mowed the grass. These runway antics and other catchy media exploits, like the celebrity appearance of the Green Lady of Brooklyn with her pet iguana, created a lot of social media buzz for Collina Strada. The brand’s Instagram page has gained over 10,600 followers since Friday’s showcase, a 4% jump in followers in five days, according to Social Blade analytics.
Independent designers that are scaling up their distribution and market presence can benefit greatly from a boost in social media impressions. Willy Chavarria debuted his brand in 2015 with a signature chicano aesthetic of oversized white t-shirts, pressed khakis and black belts. He styled celebrities like A$AP Rocky and Kanye West in the following years, which eventually led to Chavarria working with West’s Yeezy brand in 2018. In 2021, Chavarria went on to serve as the svp of design at Calvin Klein, a position he still holds today.
Although Chavarria’s brand experienced steady growth since its founding, the brand only held a small corner in the menswear world. But then the brand got its viral moment at NYFW SS22. The spring/summer 2022 collection opened with four shirtless men wearing ultra-high belted chinos with satin boxers peeking out above the waistband. These bold, and ridiculously large pants brought a lot of attention to the collection and the brand identity.
After Chavarria’s SS24 collection at NYFW 2023, the brand really took off — especially on social media. On Sept. 1, 2023, prior to NYFW, the @WillyChavarriaNewYork Instagram account had 92,960 followers, according to Social Blade analytics. Following NYFW, on Oct. 1, 2023, that number jumped to 113,750 followers, an 18% increase in followers. Currently, the brand’s Instagram page has over 179,000 followers, a 36% increase since October 2023.
Last September, Willy Chavarria was given one of the last slots to present on the last day of fashion week. Although late in the day and after a week’s worth of impressive demonstrations from other brands, which had already received much media coverage and industry hype, the collection was a huge hit among fashion critics and members of the media. Magazines like Harper’s Bazaar named Willy Chavarria one of the “winners of NYFW 2023.” This year, the brand was chosen to close the first day of NYFW.
This year, Chavarria’s SS25 showcase once again portrayed the designer’s chicano aesthetic, leaning heavily into workwear and celebrating hard-working immigrants. But the show also included some splashy celebrity appearances. First, there was a musical opening performance by Yahritza y Su Esencia. Then, a star-studded cast of models appeared, including U.S. Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles, MMA fighter Chito Vera, and rappers Joey Badass and YG. Finally, for the closer, there was a surprise Adidas collaboration that included 22 collaborate looks and an updated design to the archival Adidas “Jabbar” sneaker.
These flashy celebrity appearances and Chavarria’s collaboration with global sports brand Adidas, definitely caught the media and public’s attention. Since Friday’s show, the Willy Chavarria brand page has gained 19,970 followers according to Social Blade analytics, an 11% jump in followers over five days.
