The front-row seat, a perfectly curated Instagram moment, an air-kiss exchange with fashion’s elite. Whether inspired by Carrie Bradshaw’s Manhattan adventures or Jenna Rink’s magazine dreams, countless fashion enthusiasts harbour the ultimate aspiration of securing coveted invitations to the world’s most prestigious Fashion Weeks.

Yet, behind the glossy layer lies a more complex reality – one in which women from across the region are quietly rewriting the rules of access and influence through sheer determination, strategic positioning, and an unwavering vision that extends far beyond geographic boundaries.

The long game: Years before the first invitation

The pathway to Fashion Week relevance rarely unfolds overnight. For Amrita Singh, a Dubai-based private stylist, the journey required methodical career evolution across multiple fashion disciplines. “It took a few years of navigating the industry in Dubai, first as a features editor, then a fashion editor, and then stepping into a more personal space as a private stylist,” Singh reflects. “Once I started working with clients who weren’t just shopping, they were collecting, it changed everything.”

This strategic transformation from traditional fashion roles to specialised services represents a broader shift occurring across the global fashion ecosystem. Regional professionals are discovering that success lies not in mimicking established fashion-capital formulas, but in recognising and responding to unique market dynamics within their own territories.

Megan Van Tasell, Senior Manager in the Buying department at THAT Concept Store, emphasises the patience required for Fashion Week integration. “I have been attending Fashion Week shows and events throughout my buying career, but only regularly after about ten years of hard work,” she explains. Her progression from junior buying positions, where travel typically occurred “mostly for market, usually after Fashion Week has moved on to the next location”, to her current role illustrates how career advancement naturally opens Fashion Week doors.

Beyond the spectacle: Understanding the business behind the looks

The Instagram-perfect moments that dominate Fashion Week coverage mask an intricate web of strategic decision-making and client service. Singh articulates this disconnect clearly. 

“People assume Fashion Week is about sitting front-row and taking pictures, but if you’re working in a client-facing role, you’re moving with intent,” she explains. “You’re identifying what’s rare, what’s covetable, and what’s going to have a wait-list before the show even ends.”

The initial draw may be pure inspiration for content creators, but business realities quickly surface. Oumayma Elboumeshouli, who has navigated the industry for over 13 years, describes her first Fashion Week experience with palpable emotion. 

“My first Fashion Week experience honestly felt like stepping into one of the collages I used to make and hang on my bedroom wall,” she recalls. “All the people I used to cut out of magazines, my style icons, the ones who inspired me, were suddenly there in front of me, in real life.”

Meanwhile, Jennifer Kolomoni Bambi, a stylist and creative consultant, emphasises the stark contrast between perception and reality. “As a stylist at Fashion Week, my day-to-day is a whirlwind of creativity, logistics, and problem-solving far more chaotic than the polished photos suggest,” she explains. 

Her experience illuminates the multifaceted nature of Fashion Week participation, which requires professionals to balance creative vision with practical execution.

Yet, even passion-driven professionals must master Fashion Week’s complex ecosystem of relationships, timing, and strategic positioning to transform from observers into active participants.

Defining moments: When everything shifts

Every Fashion Week insider can identify the precise moment when their relationship with the industry fundamentally changed. For Singh, this breakthrough came through client focus rather than traditional networking strategies. “The first time I was flown in for a Fashion Week event was with Prada, because I had a client ready to spend on a full look before the show even started, and was also committed to the brand in that she genuinely enjoyed the pieces she purchased,” she reveals. “That’s when I realised I was no longer in the audience – I was part of the ecosystem.”

Elboumeshouli’s pivotal moment arrived through an unexpected source. “My first real Fashion Week moment was actually with Topshop, about ten years ago in London. They did a show at the Tate Modern and, for me, that was so spectacular to see,” she shares. “It was the first-ever show I was invited to, and they dressed me for it, which, at the time, felt insane. That was the moment I realised there might be so much more I could get out of this.”

Bambi shares that one of her most challenging yet rewarding moments came through collaborative problem-solving. “One of the most creatively challenging moments I’ve faced during Fashion Week happened in Paris, when I was sent by a magazine to report live from the Hermès show,” she says. After struggling with earlier coverage attempts, she made a strategic decision. “That’s when I called in a friend of mine, Patrick Ilunga, a professional street style photographer. It completely changed the game. Suddenly, I wasn’t scrambling to do everything myself. I could just point out a key figure or moment, and he’d capture it effortlessly. It became a real creative partnership.”

Van Tasell’s most memorable first experience, on the other hand, centres on a specific sensory detail that continues to transport her. “My first fashion show was Peter Dundas for the Pucci SS14 collection. I was in the back row, but I had a proper seat with my name on it (I kept the seating card),” she says. “The models walked to Janet Jackson’s If, and when I listen to the song now, I am immediately transported back to that moment.”

The invisible labour behind the glamour

Perhaps most crucially, these women illuminate the extensive work that remains hidden from ’s public face. Singh reveals the complexity behind seemingly effortless client service. “People see the glamorous end, the delivery of a full runway Bottega look or securing a special Birkin, but they don’t see the 20 calls, the tracking, the favours, or the behind-the-scenes diplomacy it takes to get those pieces in hand,” she emphasises.

Bambi echoes this, addressing common misconceptions about styling work. “One major misconception about Fashion Week is that stylists just pull looks off the runway and put them on celebrities or models as-is, as if it’s just about choosing outfits,” she says. “In reality, the work stylists do is far more creative, strategic, and collaborative than most people realise.” 

“There’s a belief that everything is pre-made, ready-to-wear, and that designers just hand it over,” Bambi continues. “Some think stylists are just middlemen between designers and talent.” The reality, she notes, involves “negotiating fiercely with PR teams and designers for exclusive pieces, sometimes months in advance” and “customising or altering garments to suit a client’s image, body type, or the context of an event.” Most importantly, she adds, “Stylists are visual strategists, negotiators, problem-solvers, and storytellers. Their work during Fashion Week is often more behind-the-scenes than people realise, but absolutely essential to the fashion narrative the world sees.”

The relationship-building aspect, in particular, requires extraordinary patience and persistence. “What people don’t always see is how much time and effort go into building those relationships behind the scenes. It can take years,” notes Elboumeshouli. “I’ve had brands where I tried for five seasons with no invite, and then suddenly, it happened.”

Van Tasell describes the frenetic daily reality. “It starts every early with a big breakfast because lunch is never guaranteed. By 9am, I am usually in my first showroom appointment, and I spend the day running between showrooms and shows,” she says, adding that her schedule extends well beyond public events. “Normally, the last show or appointment is done around 6pm, and then there are evening events, dinners, and after parties to attend. I’m getting older, so I’m usually back to my hotel by 9.30 or 10pm, which is when I begin to work on putting together orders, catching up on emails, and preparing for the next day until around 1am.”

Bambi provides an even more detailed glimpse into the stylist’s marathon schedule. “You’re up early, checking texts from a PR agency – a sample’s delayed or a look isn’t working,” she narrates. “You’re triple-confirming call sheets, fittings, and show times. Emails and DMs are already flooding in – requests, pull-backs, changes.” The intensity continues throughout the day. “Between shows, you’re editing a reel in the back of an Uber. You’re posting BTS, tagging brands, engaging quickly – every moment is brand-building. But you’re also dodging traffic, trying to get across town in heels or lugging a kit bag.”

She captures the exhausting reality perfectly. “What people see – the curated, cinematic version. What it really is – a high-stakes marathon fuelled by passion, precision, and a deep love for the craft,” she notes.

The personal cost of achieving professional success

The glamorous perception of Fashion Week attendance obscures significant personal sacrifices. Van Tasell speaks candidly about the hidden costs. “Fashion Week – more like Fashion Month if you’re attending more than one Fashion Week – is a beast, and it doesn’t consider any personal schedule you may have,” she says. 

“Every season means a couple of weeks away from my family and routine at home. Sometimes, it requires missing out on friends’ and family’s birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and other milestones. It can also get a bit lonely if you’re travelling by yourself for a long period.”

Bambi also highlights the years of invisible work that precede Fashion Week success. “Before the invitations and paid campaigns, there were countless 18-hour shoot days for unknown brands, styling test shoots where you borrowed clothes, begged favours, and ended up pulling your own wardrobe,” she recalls. 

The emotional toll is equally significant. “There were years of saying yes to work instead of rest, investing in wardrobe pulls out of your own pocket, choosing passion over security, while family or peers asked, ‘Is this a real career?’”

She emphasises the often thankless nature of the work. “A lot of beautiful work lives only in your hard drive, or in memories of clients who never tagged you. You learn that styling is often thankless, until it isn’t. And that your worth isn’t tied to likes,” she notes. “The visibility you gain at Fashion Week is built on years of invisibility. And if someone only sees the shine, they’re missing the grit it took to earn it.”

Evolving landscapes and new challenges

These industry veterans have also observed shifts within the Fashion Week’s ecosystem. Elboumeshouli notes a troubling trend. “What I’m noticing lately is that it doesn’t always work like that anymore,” she reveals. “I see more and more that people are invited not because they fit the brand or bring value, but because they’re close to someone at the PR agency or they happen to share the same nationality.”

Despite these challenges, the women remain committed to their craft. As Singh emphasises, “It’s definitely not as glam as it looks, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I put my heart and soul into what I do, with a genuine love for the clients I am beyond grateful to have!”

As Fashion Week keeps evolving, these regional voices represent more than individual success stories.

They each embody a fundamental shift towards a more globally representative landscape, where influence stems from expertise, client relationships, and insight rather than proximity to traditional fashion capitals.