LinkedIn is the new gateway to the Fashion Week shows When professional networks become passports towards the podiums

What if your LinkedIn profile became your entry ticket to Fashion Week? In recent years, social media has been overflowing with bold or not-so-bold tips to infiltrate this ultra-selective event, but one strategy seems to be gaining legitimacy: using LinkedIn to approach the right people and land the golden ticket. Long reserved for designers, celebrities, and industry insiders, Fashion Week is slowly opening up to new profiles. Among them: fashion enthusiasts who master the art of personal branding on the professional platform. More and more, users looking for an invitation target key profiles such as press officers, event coordinators, brand communication managers, and try their luck with a well-crafted message. And against all odds, it sometimes works, as was the case for content creator Piper Philips, who, after sending a myriad of LinkedIn messages to executives of her favorite brands, reportedly received a positive response from a manager at Chloé. Another way to gain access to the holy grail is to land a volunteer position working backstage.

Shortly before fashion weeks begin, some brands recruit volunteers on the professional platform to assist them behind the scenes. As explained by RentExtended on TikTok, these "showroom assistant" positions, although unpaid, require little experience, allowing more people to apply and potentially be recruited. Recently, tips for sneaking into fashion shows have been multiplying. Some share unexpected tricks: blending into a queue to merge with the crowd or pretending to be a freelance photographer. There is even a black market for invitations to the most prestigious brand shows. In this context, going through LinkedIn appears to be the most honest method by comparison. However, one must remain realistic as chances of success remain extremely slim. It’s also important to note that having a strong personal brand is essential to stand out on LinkedIn.

It’s clear that brand managers will favor profiles that have built an engaged community aligned with their brand’s audience. Piper Philips, the young woman who managed to get a response from Chloé after cold-emailing on the corporate social network, has hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok. Let’s not kid ourselves: a strong online presence is essential to capture the attention of brands. Paris Fashion Week remains a dream for many enthusiasts, who are not afraid to get creative to pass through the doors of a show. Seats are scarce, reserved for a very exclusive circle made up of celebrities, hand-picked influencers, VICs (Very Important Consumers), and a few well-established fashion journalists. But a new generation of curious minds, driven by TikTok, is changing the game.