Creators are becoming a bigger part of Fashion Week. But are they getting greater access?

Creators have become an increasingly visible presence at London Fashion Week, giving audiences a view beyond the runway while brands increasingly use their content to extend shows and events beyond the people in the room.

But as their role around Fashion Week grows, that influence has not necessarily translated into greater access to its official shows.

Teeyana Aromi, a creator who has worked with brands including Coca-Cola and Disney, attended London Fashion Week this season and was featured in British Vogue's coverage. She told The Daily Influence that while more opportunities are being built around Fashion Week with creators in mind, its official shows can still be difficult to get into without existing industry relationships.

“I think the role of creators is still small. The official shows are still gatekept and largely reserved for people already working in fashion, even though London Fashion Week is a great gateway for the next generation of tastemakers and fashion enthusiasts,” she said.

“It's all about who you know and who knows you.”

Aromi's management began approaching brands three weeks before Fashion Week, with three agencies working to fill her schedule. She said finding who to contact was relatively straightforward because press details are listed on the official London Fashion Week schedule, but securing an invitation was another matter.

“Everything was built on relationships: the people we know and my team,” she said.

Once she was inside the events, however, Aromi said she felt genuinely included and was not treated simply as someone there to produce content.

“What I loved most about Fashion Week was that content wasn't a condition of being there unlike a standard brand event. We wanted to produce our best work, but it was never mandatory,” she said.

“From Onalaja to Claudia Smith, the rooms felt well curated, and I wasn't treated any differently from anyone else in there. I felt genuinely included and well looked after.”

Her experience comes as brands are finding that giving creators greater access around Fashion Week can generate significant attention online.

New research from creator agency Billion Dollar Boy, which analysed more than 250,000 UK creator accounts and 30 fashion brands, found high-street retailers generated 58% of creator impressions around London Fashion Week this season, compared with 42% generated by luxury brands.

M&S accounted for almost two in five of the impressions measured, ahead of Mulberry, ASOS and Barbour. Lauren Gibb, Billion Dollar Boy's director of content strategy, told The Daily Influence that its performance was driven in part by creators covering the retailer's first London Fashion Week runway show and sharing their own perspectives on the collection.

“Creators are no longer passive spectators sitting quietly on a guest list, acting as simple broadcast channels for luxury labels. They are active co-creators who shape the brand story in real time,” she said.

“This is where high-street retailers are gaining a competitive advantage. They give creators the creative freedom to style pieces into everyday wardrobes, speak openly about value and price, and engage directly with their communities.”

The growing commercial role creators play around Fashion Week has not necessarily changed how their presence is perceived, however. Aromi said she would like to see greater recognition of the work that goes into building an audience and earning an invitation in the first place.

“We should be seen as guests who have worked hard to get to where we are,” she said. “Creators are invited for a reason, because building an audience is not easy. So instead of asking ‘why are they there?’, the industry and the people watching need to start respecting the work it took to get into the room.”