Why We’re Stepping Away From Other Fashion Show Platforms

Protecting the Craft, Respecting the Models, and Producing Fashion on Our Own Terms

It has been a while since I’ve sat down to write a blog, but after everything I’ve experienced over the last several years and due to recent events, I felt like this was the right time to share where I am—not only as the founder of Stoi’s Design Co., but as a couture designer who has spent years participating in fashion shows, producing collections, working with models, and learning what happens both on the runway and behind the scenes.

We recently made a decision that I didn’t make lightly:

Stoi’s Design Co. will no longer participate in outside fashion show productions unless it is a paid opportunity. Our focus will be on producing and presenting our own fashion experiences. 

After participating in so many different platforms, I kept going into each opportunity hoping the next experience would be different. As a couture designer, you spend weeks and sometimes months preparing a collection. You invest in fabric, embellishments, fittings, alterations, transportation, accessories, models, and countless hours of labor. So naturally, when someone invites you to showcase your work, you hope the production will respect what it took for you to get there.

Unfortunately, I’ve learned that isn't always the case.

Not Every Fashion Show Is Produced the Same

One of the biggest lessons I've had to accept is that not everyone is going to produce a fashion event the way we do at Stoi’s Design Co. And I am certainly not claiming that our productions are perfect. We have made mistakes. Things happen behind the scenes that audiences will never know about. Timelines change, people cancel, garments need last-minute adjustments, and sometimes you simply have to figure things out as you go.

But we try to get it right.

And more importantly, we care about how people are treated while we're trying to get it right.

To me, producing a fashion show isn't simply finding a venue, putting up a runway, playing music, and sending models down it. A fashion production begins long before the audience takes their seats. It starts with communication, organization, respect, and understanding that every person involved is giving something to help create that experience.

I've participated in outside platforms thinking I was going to have this amazing experience as a designer, only to walk away frustrated and disappointed. Eventually, I had to stop expecting other productions to operate according to the standards we have established for ourselves.

That's when I realized something: maybe I'm not supposed to keep trying to fit Stoi’s Design Co. into someone else's platform. Maybe we're supposed to continue building our own.

Models Deserve More Respect

One of the things I feel most strongly about is how models are treated.

Models are sometimes treated as though they're simply there to put on clothing and walk. I don't see them that way.

Think about what we're asking of them. They attend model calls. They give us their measurements. They come to fittings. They rearrange their schedules for rehearsals. They stand around while garments are pinned and adjusted. They learn choreography and runway direction. On show day, they're often there hours before the audience arrives. Then they put on our creations, step in front of hundreds of people, photographers, and cameras, and become the living presentation of our work.

That deserves respect.

As designers, we cannot have the fashion shows we envision without models. We cannot create the same editorial photographs or campaign imagery without the people who bring those garments to life. Yes, today we have AI. I use technology and understand what it can do creatively, but when it comes to presenting my couture, I still prefer a real person wearing my designs.

There is something AI cannot replace for me: the way a model walks into a room and gives a garment personality.

A dress can look beautiful hanging on a mannequin. It can look incredible in a sketch. It can even look amazing in an AI-generated image. But watching a real person put it on, move in it, understand it, and make it their own is completely different.

The model helps complete the story.

Respect Goes Beyond the Models

The same respect should extend to everyone involved in a production. Designers, makeup artists, hairstylists, photographers, videographers, dressers, volunteers, production assistants, stage managers, vendors, and everyone working behind the scenes deserve clear communication and professional treatment.

Sometimes I think we become so focused on what happens on the runway that we forget about all the people standing behind the curtain making that moment possible.

A successful fashion show shouldn't only look good to the audience. It should feel good to the people who helped create it.

That's something I want to continue protecting within our productions.

I've Learned to Stop Saying Yes Just Because It's a Fashion Show

Earlier in my career, being invited to participate in another fashion show felt exciting. It felt like exposure. It felt like another opportunity to introduce people to my work.

But experience changes your perspective.

I've reached a point where I no longer believe every runway is the right runway for my work. Exposure alone isn't enough anymore. Having my name on another flyer isn't enough. Being able to say that I showed another collection isn't enough.

Creating couture requires too much from me.

When I create a collection, I am giving that collection a piece of myself. I'm developing a concept, selecting fabrics, constructing garments, embellishing pieces, fitting models, making alterations, styling looks, and thinking about how every garment connects to the next. By the time those pieces reach the runway, there have been countless hours of work behind them.

I have to be more intentional about where I place that work.

And sometimes growth means realizing that every invitation does not require a yes.

Creating Our Own Table

This decision isn't about believing Stoi’s Design Co. is better than anyone else. It is about understanding what works for us.

We've spent years developing our own approach to fashion productions, and I want to continue improving it. I want our events to feel like experiences rather than simply another runway show. I want our models to know they're valued. I want our designers and creative teams to feel respected. I want our guests to walk away feeling like they experienced something intentional.

Will we get everything perfect every single time?

Probably not.

But we're going to try.

We're going to listen.

We're going to learn.

And when we get something wrong, we're going to work to make it better.

That's the standard I want associated with Stoi’s Design Co.

This Is Our Next Chapter

So moving forward, you will see us differently. Rather than constantly preparing collections for someone else's runway, we're putting that energy into our own productions, our own creative experiences, our clients, our campaigns, and the continued growth of Stoi’s Design Co. and Maison de Stoi.

That doesn't mean we'll never collaborate. I believe collaboration is an important part of fashion. And if an outside production approaches us with a paid opportunity that makes sense for our brands, our time, and our work, we'll consider it.

But simply participating because there's a runway available is no longer enough.

I've learned too much.

I've experienced too much.

And I've built too much to ignore what those experiences have taught me.

Sometimes being a designer means knowing when to step onto the runway.

And sometimes being a founder means knowing when it's time to build your own.

— Stoi G.Founder & Creative DirectorStoi’s Design Co. | Maison de Stoi