First and foremost the gang here at No Sweat would like to thank you for joining us as allies in the fight against sweatshop labor! It takes a team of passionate individuals (like you!) to help us spread awareness of the problems garment workers around the world encounter on a daily basis, and also to offer viable solutions to these problems so that every day consumers can make a difference in our world. By offering to produce your very own fair trade fashion show, you are a true advocate for the workers' rights movement, the end of labor poverty, and all human rights issues that concern our world today.

From our experience, we have found fair trade fashion shows to be a fun and effective way of educating our communities about sweat-free fair labor practices. In order for the show to run smoothly, though, it will take time and effort on your part - but we will be here every step of the way with our resources and experience to ensure your success! Below is a guide to the key steps you will need to take for throwing a successful show. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have as you begin your planning. Simply email us or call 1.877.992.7827 and we'll assist you in any way that we can.

Get ready to have fun - after all you are throwing the next fashion show everyone will be raving about!
 
 

No Sweat™ Complimentary Fair Trade Fashion Show Kit

Includes:

• Three donated Tee Shirts for the show's models / organizers (remember to let us know your Tee shirt sizes!). Anything additional that you would like to use for the show can be purchased at wholesale rates. (A wholesale price list, catalogue, and order form are included in the kit to facilitate ordering the additional items for your show (beyond the 3 donated tees).  Wholesale rates for these No Sweat™ items are deeply discounted - approximately half the retail cost for each item!
• Valuable information and tips (outlined below) that we’ve accumulated from four years worth of fashion shows.
• Coupons, fliers, and buttons to pass out at the show.

Additional Steps Upon Request Only:

• Sample scripts for the merchandise you choose.
• Press kits and sample press releases.
• Graphic templates and images for posters and other marketing materials.
• A banner (on loan) to display at the show.
• Information on our manufacturers and sources.

Key Steps to Producing Your Show:

Get a Team Together and Delegate Tasks:

• Three or more people will be sufficient for organizing the bulk of the show. By assigning specific tasks, and reviewing these tasks on at least a weekly basis, nothing will be left out and there will be a collective outlook as to how the show will ultimately run.
• Try not to do everything yourself – get as many friends and family members to volunteer so that you will have plenty of hands to help out, even if last-minute issues should arise.
• Some of the jobs involved in throwing a fashion show include, but are not limited to, the following steps:
  

Research:

• The amount of research will be determined on an individual basis. If you are holding a fashion show inclusive to other fair trade apparel companies this is a great time to contact them and solicit their help.
• Global Girlfriend, People Tree (UK), Global Exchange, Edun (Ireland), Justice Clothing and Footprint Clothing (UK) are only a few of the many other apparel brands who provide fair trade and sweat-free clothing.
• Again, we are absolutely willing to provide you with any needed information about our company, our products or our suppliers, and we can even help refer you to our non-profit and for-profit partners in fighting sweatshop labor and providing fair trade products.

Budgeting:

• If you are throwing the show as a student group, there may be money within your school allocated for student organized events.
• If funds are low, secure as many volunteers as possible, including the models, and hold the show in a free or outdoor location. Keep sets and lighting simple – and make any promotional advertisements yourself.
• You can sell tickets to the show, collect donations at the door, or hold a silent auction or raffle during the show in order to get community members involved and raise money for your group. We are happy to donate gift certificates and select products to an auction or raffle if you choose to have one.
• Another easy way to raise money for the show is by selling our products and other fair trade items immediately following the show. All you need is a table and a cash box. We are more than happy to give you discounted wholesale rates on any of our products, so that you can sell them at regular retail price and keep the profits!
• Keep in mind, shipping costs are not covered by No Sweat but we are flexible and willing to work with any budgeting constraints you may have.
  

Recruitment of Models and Personnel:

• Models will be needed to show off the outfits – we recommend having a total of 6-10 models to make the most of your show. Make sure you know their correct size, so that we can ensure a proper fit of the clothes! Also, make sure they are fun, energetic, outgoing people that will not experience any stage fright the day of the show.
• Securing one or two suitable MC’s to describe the clothes and keep the audience engaged is a good idea. We can help you with preparing a script and can send along any information about our company or products that you may need. If you can’t find someone to do this, you and the organizers of the show are usually the best people for the job!
• Audio/visual coordinators will be very helpful with running the show smoothly and can add the extra pizzazz your show may need. Music and lights should be fun, bright, and timed to run with the show.
• Assign the task of a “feeder” to one of your organizers. This is the person who will be organizing the models backstage, ensuring that there are no delays, and setting the pace of the show by telling the models when and how to walk out on the runway – this is THE most important person for a successfully timed show so take the job seriously!
  

Ordering Apparel; Fittings of Models:

• The next step is to choose the clothes you want to feature in your show. Browse our online catalog at www.nosweatshop.com and pick out what you think your audience will respond to best. Don’t hesitate to contact us about this – we know our customers well, have experience producing fashion shows, and are happy to consult with you to make sure you are featuring our most popular and successful items.
• Let us know as soon as possible the styles, sizes, colors and quantities you are thinking of ordering for your show. Once we get your list, we will be able to check our warehouse for availability and ensure that you get what you want in time for your show.
• We cannot stress enough: tell us the accurate sizes of the clothes you need! The sooner we know the sizes the more time you will have to exchange anything that doesn’t fit the models you have chosen.
• Send us your script and we’ll add basic product and supplier information on the clothing items you have chosen to feature in your show.
  

Logistics and Planning:

• Find a good location to host the show. Typically, a commons area, cafeteria, rehearsal or performance hall will hold the audience and accommodate the models walking the runway. Just make sure spaces like this have adequate lighting that will positively affect the look and feel of your show. Outdoor locations are great as they offer the most flexibility and can grab the attention of passersby. If you choose an outdoor location, though, make sure you have a back-up location or date in case the weather is adverse; and also be aware that lighting and music won’t be as easy to coordinate or as effective.
• Remember to plan for a backstage changing area. The models will need a private area to put on their outfits and fix their hair and make-up.
• Book the venue well in advance so that you don’t have to fight with another group or event for your favorite location.
• Plan the show on a day that doesn’t coincide with other events or exams to ensure the highest attendance possible. Also give yourselves enough time to adequately plan and promote the show – nothing is more stressful than working up to the last minute and realizing that you’re not ready!
• Have the music pre-recorded and longer than the expected running length of the show… you don’t want the music to cut out with the models still on the runway! Also, make sure to familiarize yourself and whoever is working backstage with the audio equipment so that you don’t run into any problems operating the music during the show.
  

Promotion:

• Begin all of your promotional activities, including any of the ideas suggested in the bullet points below, EARLY on in your planning process. You want to make sure the busy people attending your show will have it booked in their calendars before they choose to do something else with their time.
• Pass out flyers and post signs announcing your show – make sure the graphics are eye-catching and don’t forget to include important details like where, when and why.
• Local media and independent newspapers and ‘zines can be a great way to get the word out about your event. Let us know the best media outlets in your area and we will mail them press kits about our company, our sweat-free mission and your show. If there is a college/university radio station in your area, make sure they announce the event on the air. Notify school newspapers so that they send a reporter to cover the show; and list the event on university calendars and online bulletin boards. Upon request, our company will provide representatives for phone interviews for any media source you are in touch with.
• Let everyone know what you are doing – you will be amazed at how well word of mouth works! Include information about the event in the signature of your email address, so that every email you send will promote the show. Have everyone participating in the show invite their friends, family members and classmates and help spread the word about the event.
• Engage other campus organizations and local non-profits involved in human rights, social justice, and community service. Ask them to set-up an informational table or pass out literature about their work at your show. This type of outreach effort will be really helpful in terms of building relationships, boosting attendance, making your show more interactive, fulfilling and fun, and creating a buzz about your event and our sweat-free mission.
  

Rehearsal:

• Once you are completely prepared for the show, run through a practice rehearsal as many times as necessary. Make sure to practice at least once in the actual location of the show. By going through the details of the run down of the show it will be easy to spot areas needing improvement. It’s also very useful to familiarize the models and everyone else helping run the show with the music, clothing, script, etc. so that there are no surprises on the day of the event.
• Invite a few discerning people to watch the practice show. They will be able to give important feedback as potential audience members.
  

The Day of the Show!:

• Plan to have everyone arrive at the show location AT LEAST an hour (if not two) before the show’s start time. Make sure you allow ample time for the models to get their hair and make-up ready. Also make sure that your call time allows any late-comers to still have enough time before the show starts.
• At this point, everyone should know their role and be completely prepared for the show.
  o Where is your feeder? They have the most important role!! Make sure they are ready to keep the models moving. Any delays or missing models will make the show seem unorganized and the message won’t be communicated as effectively.
• As the fashion show organizer, you will have to be prepared for many people coming to you for answers as problems and last-minute details arise. Do not get stressed out! Know in advance that the day of the show is the busiest and most chaotic. The calmer you are the more professional and organized the show will run.
• Stay on your toes and improvise… if there are costume dilemmas, sound quality errors, weather issues, etc. quickly work with your team and brainstorm how to get around it. Make sure you know everyone’s strengths and weaknesses ahead of time so that you can delegate tasks in an emergency as effectively and efficiently as possible. It may even work to your advantage to have an emergency protocol outlined and practiced in advance so that everyone knows their tasks if something unexpected should happen.
• The audience is there for support, believes in what you are doing, and is hoping for you to do well. Keep that in mind and enjoy the show!
• Take pictures! Make sure you have someone to take plenty of pictures, or even video, of the event. Don’t forget to take pictures of the audience, any special guests and what’s going on backstage.
  

After the show:

• Let us know how the show was. We would love to hear the success you had and any tips on how WE can improve in order to better assist future fashion show producers.
• Send us pictures! We want to post the photos from your fashion show on our website to show off what a great success you had.
• Fair Trade fashion shows should be an annual event so that sweatshop awareness stays fresh in consumers’ minds. Leave a detailed journal with your pictures and video for the next fashion show organizer so that they can pick up the reigns where you left off and hold an even bigger, better, more successful event year after year!

.