Trunk Shows: Making Fashion Personal

While they are less recognized than fashion shows, trunk shows are often created and geared toward the consumer, rather than the media.  This type of presentation can be rather useful to designers in making personal connections with their clients while creating new fans of the brand.  Ultimately, this experience has the ability to not only sell more pieces for the vendor, but help to build customer loyalty by catering a show to the target audience and making them feel special.

What appeals to me most about trunk shows is that they can take on many forms.  From videos, to in-store parties; they can be super intimate, host large crowds, or made to be viewed by individuals.  What intrigues me most about trunk shows is that they are not only attainable for the big name designers and department stores, but work great for smaller stores and up-and-coming designers, providing a new outlet to showcase their new merchandise with very little expense, if need be.  Boutiques, showrooms, restaurants, large department stores,  halls, nightclubs, parks, online videos or basically any open area which is suiting can be a location used for a trunk show.   This is what drew me to the following video clip of the Subdivision & Ethereal Trunk Show.  Two Boutiques from both Brooklyn and Queens, with similar target audiences decided to throw a trunk show at a restaurant, featuring 7 local artists. I’m a fan of boutiques that support the community designers.  This clip also highlights some important features that may go into this trunk show style, such as food & drink, music, and a small fashion show.  In addition to being treated to food and fashion, the customers get the opportunity to speak with the designers, see, feel and purchase designs before they are released in stores, and usually at a reduced rate.  How’s that for an experience?