Fashion show lighting

Fashion show lighting is a unique discipline of stage lighting which has its own techniques, motivations and styles.

Purpose

The majority of fashion shows are organised for the purpose of showcasing the clothing, accessories, or other designs of a specific designer, fashion house or brand. Such shows are usually put on for an audience of prospective customers or people within the fashion industry. Because of this it is essential that the apparel is shown in the best possible way so that such an audience is given the best impression of designs.

Techniques and Colour

Most fashion collections will feature a range of colours, shades and textures within the fabric of the clothing. As such it is essential that any lighting is designed purely for highlighting these elements. This is done with three main considerations:

Full-spectrum light

Firstly, the light sources used for illuminating the show space must be full spectrum White light. While much light (such as Fluorescent) appears to be white, it does not feature all light frequencies at a similar level. Having the full spectrum of light in a source is essential as, if any frequencies are lacking, the respective colours on any apparel will not be visible in the way the designer intended.

Conventional Incandescent light (filament) is the most readily available forms of lamp that produces full spectrum white light. These lamps are fitted into many different types of theatre light which can be used for fashion show lighting.

Colour Temperature

In essence, colour temperature is how "warm" or "cold" white light is. The difference between different colour temperatures is best shown by diming conventional domestic lighting; as it gets dimmer it tends to become more "warm" through a phenomenon called amber shift.

In the case of fashion show lighting it is usually the goal to have light of medium colour temperature (around 5600 Kelvin). This is because it is a relatively neutral colour temperate and allows for good photos of the apparel.

Distribution of Light;

Most fashion shows will feature models that will walk down a catwalk, or other staged area. As the model moves around it is essential that the space in which they are walking is evenly lit. Failure to do this causes "hot spots" (where there is substantially brighter than the average levels) and "cold spots" (where there is not enough light). This not only has a very negative impact on the photography of the show, but also means that the details of apparel is not shown correctly.

A well-designed fashion show will have even light coverage throughout the staged area. This is typically done with the use of multiple light sources placed in the correct locations.

Differences from normal stage lighting

The fundamental difference between fashion show lighting and normal stage lighting is in its purpose. Typically stage lighting will be used as a feature to musical or theatrical performance. Whereas fashion show lighting exists purely for the purpose of accentuating items within the show. IE, the lighting is utilised as a tool as opposed to being a feature within itself.

References

1. "Guide to Producing a Fashion Show", Judith C Everett, Fairchild Books, ISBN 1-56367-253-7
2. Fashion Show Lighting - a website explaining full details of commercial fashion show production