Runway events offer prime moments for brand storytelling and conversion-driving engagement. Discover the head-turning, show-stopping tactics below.

Whether you send exclusive behind-the-scenes content, highlight runway pieces, or keep the momentum going post-event, there are countless ways to elevate your brand around the world's biggest fashion events. As we look forward to the remaining runway events in 2025, now’s the time to plan. Ensure your marketing efforts are ready to catch your audience's attention during key moments in the fashion calendar.

In this article, we’ll explore six marketing strategies to help you boost interest and orders during designer showcases, both for those directly involved and those leveraging the event from the outside.

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Invite subscribers to stream the event if your brand is on the runway

If your brand is making its mark on the catwalk during their own designer presentation, don’t miss the opportunity to engage your audience by inviting them to stream the event. Start by emailing your subscribers in the lead-up to create excitement and anticipation. The email can include exclusive behind-the-scenes content, details about the collection, and a call to action on how to tune in for the live stream.

On ‌event day, follow up with an SMS message to reach subscribers directly on their phones, ensuring they don’t miss the action. Save the text message for your most engaged segments—those who regularly interact with your brand—and send a personalized, enticing message to encourage them to watch the show live. 

If MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) is available in your market, it’s a powerful way to engage customers with rich imagery and video. Use MMS to send high-quality images or short video tutorials showcasing how your products can recreate the latest runway or celebrity-inspired makeup looks. Whether it's a step-by-step demo of a bold lip or a glass skin look you're highlighting, MMS offers a more interactive experience, making it easier for your subscribers to connect with and envision themselves using your products.

Some weeklong luxury fashion events hold global influence, and your brand’s participation can attract attention worldwide. If your brand participates in one of these high-profile events, don’t limit your messaging to local or in-market subscribers. Make it part of your global strategy by also reaching international audiences.

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Offer exclusives to your subscribers

While fashion is in the spotlight, make your SMS channel a VIP experience for loyal subscribers. Whether you’re on the runway or not, offering exclusive content, early access, and special rewards through SMS creates a sense of urgency and exclusivity that encourages engagement.

For brands participating in upcoming runway shows, consider sharing behind-the-scenes content with your SMS subscribers. This could include sneak peeks of your catwalk show, designer insights, or backstage moments. Additionally, you could offer early access to designer collections, allowing your SMS subscribers to shop the collection before it becomes available to the public.

If your brand doesn't participate in fashion industry events but still wants to tap into the buzz, consider creating a limited-edition collection or a curated list of items that align with the season’s runway trends and offering this to your email and SMS subscribers. One of our Customer Success Managers noted that sharing exclusive access via SMS is a great way to build long-term customer loyalty. As Laura Patrasso puts it: “The more often you put this strategy into practice, the more your SMS subscribers will be conditioned to hearing about these exclusive updates on this channel. Be sure to call it out in the message copy so they know the value they’re receiving.”

For those lucky enough to attend designer presentations in person, send an on-the-day SMS inviting them to say hi at your booth or show. If you have your subscribers' location data, you can personalize this with location targeting. This also ensures a satisfying brand experience by not targeting those for whom it may not be relevant. Offering a small gift, such as a branded tote, hot drink, or limited-edition accessory, shows appreciation for their loyalty and creates a memorable experience. 

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Leverage what’s hot

Even if your brand isn’t directly participating in a showcase, you can still make the most of the season by leveraging the trending items from the runway. If your brand carries similar items, now is the perfect opportunity to spotlight them. Whether it’s bold patterns, vibrant colors, or unique silhouettes, find items in your collection that align with these trends. Once you’ve pinpointed them, use behavioral data to target the right customers, specifically those who have viewed, added to cart, or shown interest in similar items.

For less-engaged subscribers, focus on transactional SMS messages emphasizing value or incentive. Consider sending an SMS or email with a limited-time offer or discount code valid for the event’s duration. This creates a sense of urgency and timeliness, motivating customers to act fast before the offer expires. For example, you could offer 15% off all items in a "Runway Trend Edit" for the duration of the event or give early access to your version of a trending piece for your loyal customers.

Highlight and promote products to recreate beauty trends

Fashion shows aren’t just about the clothes, but also about the beauty looks. From runway models to celebrity attendees, these events' skincare and makeup trends often set the tone for the season. For brands in the beauty space, this is a golden opportunity to promote products that help customers recreate those same stunning catwalk looks.

If your brand's beauty products are being used on the runway or offer products that align with the catwalk or celebrity-inspired makeup trends, use the event as a platform to highlight them. Whether it's a bold red lip, smokey eyeshadow, or a glowing highlighter, showcase how your products can help customers achieve the looks seen at the shows or their favorite celebrities attending them. Create a curated "Runway Beauty Edit" or "Celebrity-Inspired Makeup Looks" collection featuring products directly tied to the latest trends and promote them across SMS and email. 

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Keep the momentum going post-event

The excitement of the event doesn’t have to end when the last show wraps up. To keep your brand top of mind, consider running a post-event sale designed to beat the blues. This could include discounts on relevant items inspired by the trends showcased during the event, like key runway pieces or celebrity-inspired styles.

To boost conversions, retarget those who clicked on your initial message but didn’t make a purchase. A follow-up message later that day or the next will increase the likelihood of them completing the transaction.

This is also a great way to sell any inventory with a time constraint, such as limited-edition items like exclusive event merchandise. You can also create product bundles, offering discounts when customers purchase items that align with the season’s trends. Due to the immediacy of the channel, we recommend announcing this via SMS.

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Share when your collection is available to buy

One of the most effective ways to maintain excitement around your participation is by sharing when your runway collection is available to buy. If you had a standout piece that went viral or was picked up by the press or blogs, call attention to it. These are the items everyone will want, so highlight them across your channels and call out any notable high-profile associations. For example, if a jacket or statement piece from your show was featured in major fashion blogs, let your audience know when they can purchase it, emphasizing its exclusivity and high demand.

If your brand wasn’t directly participating in a catwalk but has launched items or collections inspired by it, now’s the time to spotlight those, too. Tie your products to the key trends, showing how they mirror the latest trends or channel runway-inspired styles. This is a great opportunity to promote high-end, full-priced items that align with the season’s most coveted looks.

Make email campaigns highly visual to capture your audience's attention. Include images or videos that remind subscribers of the show. If time has passed since the event, this can reignite excitement. Follow up with those who engaged with your email with SMS, creating a sense of urgency to grab their attention. SMS is a great way to drive conversions quickly after the email.

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Ready to make the most of the fashion show season? Use SMS and email marketing to tap into these events and create campaigns that drive engagement and conversions. Explore our SMS gallery, Texts We Love, to discover inspiring campaign ideas.