Now in its seventh season, Gainesville Fashion Week has grown each year in participation and social media presence.
About 550 people attended the art, music and fashion showcase on Friday and Saturday evening at the University Air Center’s Mustang Hangar.
Since GFW officially launched in 2009, the event has expanded, having gained nearly 5,300 likes on Facebook, about 900 followers on Twitter and roughly 800 followers on Instagram.
Social media director Niko Pifferetti said the team primarily relies on outlets like those for increasing word-of-mouth publicity in addition to its local networking events.
“GFW has always been good at having innovative marketing techniques,” he said.
Pifferetti, a 24-year-old UF public relations and English senior, said the event has cultivated a meaningful and growing online presence through the multiple platforms it uses to reach its audience.
“We’re very well integrated,” he said. “We have a team of seven social media interns, and there’s pretty much one on every platform at any given time making sure that we have consistent stream of content.”
The management team has grown as well, Pifferetti said. In its first year, fewer than a dozen people organized the event. Now, the team has expanded to almost 50 directors and interns.
Although the event was held at the same location last year, venues from previous years were limited to smaller locations in downtown Gainesville.
“Turnout has been increasing every year,” Pifferetti said. “This venue really feels much more like a gallery, and I feel like you can approach the art and appreciate it.”
Director-at-large Ching-Ya Ni said although turnover and sponsorship levels may vary each season, the fashion week has been improving every year.
“Every year I want to bring something new to the table,” Ni said. “I feel like this is our best venue here because we’re able to create a really spacious and classy ambiance where it’s beyond going to another nightclub in downtown.”
Over the years, the event has come to establish itself as a platform that showcases artistic talent and serves as an accessible resource for local artists, she said.
In the four years Ni has been a part of the GFW team, she said the growth of the event has inspired her to continue pursuing her own passions in fashion and art.
“I’ve gone through a lot with Gainesville Fashion Week, and it’s definitely become my second home,” Ni said.
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 4/7/2014 under the headline "Gainesville Fashion Week sees growth, social media high"]
Gainesville Fashion Week model Tamima Mehrotra sits through hair and makeup before an early-season editorial photo shoot last month. Hair: Nicole Collazo. Makeup: Niko Pifferetti
