Local Fashion Awards Are BS.
If you live in any city that tries to support local talent, you have most likely attended a local awards show for local talent. Maybe you’ve even been nominated. Personally, I’ve been nominated on only a handful of occasions. I’ve never won. The winners haven’t necessarily been more well-known amongst clients. Some didn’t even have clients outside the local area. Some had a dozen tear sheets from small publications, where I had tear sheets from international editions of GQ, Maxim, Cosmo, Esquire, and dozens of lookbooks under my name. So, why did they win? They were good friends with the organizers of the event. They were drinking buddies with the judges. They were more popular on the “scene” than actually getting out there and getting work. Let’s quit the popularity contest and make it about the work.
I had literally hundreds of tear sheets from all over the world. Dozens of paying clients around the globe. Zero “local” awards. Want to know how much I cared then? A lot. I thought it was bullshit. Want to know how much I care now? Not at all. And neither should you. Local awards don’t get you more local work. They never add anything to your professional resume. They don’t add a single dollar to your pocket. It’s not like winning an Emmy, Oscar, or Golden Globe. You couldn’t be farther from it. All you’re winning is validation from your pals you most likely go to get drinks with.
You know who has FAR more tear sheets and far more major clients than me and lives near me? Chase Jarvis. He’s never even nominated for the Best Photographer of the year here in these local awards. Nick Hall has AMAZING work, and I bet none of you have even heard his name. Check out Nick’s work, HERE.
Do you think they care that they aren’t getting nominated for local awards? Not in the slightest. They are keeping busy making money, getting clients, and spending their free time with their families and focusing on what is most important.
Want to get real notoriety? Go work in a major market. Show your work in front of clients with big budgets. Get clients. Get work. Get seen.
If you only think local, your work will never get where you want it to be. You will never have the career you are hoping to achieve - until you think BIG. Get out of your comfort zone.
Sure, it feels good to be a big fish in a small pond... but what happens when that pond dries up after your first swim?
Awards are great. But let’s make them less of a popularity contest and more about the real, true work and give them to the most authentically deserving.
Here in Seattle, I recently attended a fashion awards program because my fiance was nominated for “Model of the Year” for Seattle. At the time, she was working quite a bit for Guess, Inc in Los Angeles and got flown to do their runway show in Mexico City. Invited by Paul Marciano himself. Long story short, she lost the award to someone else. What I noticed for the nominees was that I never saw on the list any model who gets paid work on a regular basis by high-end companies. The models in Seattle who do get work by Amazon, Pacsun, Nordstrom, Tommy Bahama, Old Navy, Gap, Wrangler Jeans, Target, (etc etc etc).... none of them even made the list. The most deserving didn’t even get nominated, let alone win.
The system needs to get flipped on its head. Why are we supporting these awards shows when the most qualified don’t even get nominated?
Might as well go buy a trophy from Walmart and put it on the shelf.