Posts Tagged ‘Fashion Shows’
School Fundraising Ideas – The Fashion Show
Schools are constantly in need of funds. There are many fun activities available to help raise money such as worm charming or a car wash but a great favourite that involves everyone is the fashion show.
Whilst a fashion show will take a lot of planning (several months), the event can really pay off.
The school raises money by ticket sales, a raffle on the night and commission from clothes sales so it is potentially a good money spinner.
Seeing clothes close up can sway a persons decision on whether or not to buy so it is also good for the audience, plus its always nice to see friends and family modelling.
Getting outside help with the show is useful and there are companies specialising in this sort of thing. They will often supply a PA system, music, till, carrier bags and a full length mirror.
Make sure the company you go has experience of putting on fashion shows and that their stock is appealing to your audience. It will also be useful if they have the means to accept credit and debit card payment as this will increase your sales on the night.
You will need to decide whether you want to include refreshments in the ticket price and how much profit you are hoping to make on the night. Be realistic as you don’t want to put people off with the ticket price.
The venue you choose will need to be big enough to seat everyone expected and it needs to have a flat floor. A raised stage area will be an added bonus as it will make the catwalk more of a feature. Plenty of electrical points will be needed, as will a room for the models to change. Changing rooms for the audience to use after the show will also be required. The school hall may be suitable, but if not, consider the village hall or other venues nearby. Seating will also need to be sourced.
A good turn out is needed for the show so you will need to market it to your target audience which will probably largely consist of parents. Send a press release to the local paper, notify the parish magazine and make up posters to put up near the school. The school art department should be quite handy with the posters.
Pupils, staff and parents can all be used as models. Several rehearsals will be required so that everyone knows what to do on the night.
With careful planning, your fundraising fashion show should be a great night out and a financial success too.
Some Tips for a School Fashion Show
School fashion shows can be quite fun if done properly. If done the wrong way, however, it could end up being one boring affair which is only occasionally enlivened by the people laughing at a humiliated model. What you need are some tips to help you.
1) Think of a theme – When putting up a school fashion show, it is always helpful if you use a theme. A theme gives a fashion show a sense of organization and people would be able to relate the fashion to the theme. There are various types of themes to choose from:
a) Season – Basing your school fashion show on the season is always popular. You could design and model various outfits that correspond with the time of year. This would also give you an idea of how to decorate the venue. Basing your school fashion show on a season can help you unleash your creativity and make your brain cells work. How can you balance the freedom of creativity with the confinement of the theme? This will definitely help you improve your skills.
b) Literature – Another great idea for a theme is literature. You should think about basing your school fashion show on a great piece of literature. How about basing it on the book The Great Gatsby? Ever tried creating fashion pieces for Frodo? This can be fun as you will be bringing the visions of authors to life. Basing your school fashion show on a piece of literature can also be a bit easier than other themes since most authors actually have pretty detailed descriptions of the clothes their character wear. This is especially true for fantasy novels. Cloaks, anyone?
2) Music – The music sets the mood for the whole fashion show. It strikes the subconscious of the watchers and thus, determines how much attention they will be paying your school fashion show. This means, of course, that you need to choose the correct sounds to accompany your school fashion show.
You need to choose music that grabs the attention of the spectators enough to mesmerize them. However, you do not want the music to distract the spectators from the school fashion show. The best type of music to use would be instrumental. This is because instrumental music can set the mood for the show without distracting the viewers with familiar lyrics.
3) Lighting – Proper lighting effects are always essential if you want to have a great school fashion show. Together with the background music, the lighting effects give the audience a general emotion to feel. How do you want them to react when they see a certain ensemble? You can make them react as you want them by simply combining light and sound.
4) Spontaneity – Students hate predictability. Because of this, the best thing that your school fashion show could have is a surprise. You need to show your students something unexpected and completely new. In doing so, you will be able to grab their attentions and keep it. By being spontaneous, you will keep spectators guessing as to what will come next. This will keep their eyes on the school fashion show and off their watches and mobile phones. If you can make the audience forget about the gadgets on their pockets, then you would know that your school fashion show rocks!