Aspen has served as the scenic mountainous playground for celebrities, influencers, and fans of luxury for years. This year marks the inaugural year of Aspen Fashion Week (August 7-10), which is set to showcase a curated selection of local and global brands. This anticipated event is focused on bringing fashionable, high-quality clothing to the coveted mountain lifestyle of Aspen, Colorado. Aspen fashion week will be an opportunity for creativity and innovation in fashionable winter wear, capitalizing on the growing trend of Après-ski fashion. This event is a chance for industry insiders and up-and-coming companies to showcase their work and share their vision with the world.

I asked our PR & growth experts: How does Aspen Fashion Week provide more of an opportunity to smaller businesses compared to more prominent events such as NYFW or Paris Fashion Week? What are some PR strategies emerging designers can use to capitalize on and gain visibility during Aspen Fashion Week?

Here are the experts' insights.

• Immersive pop-ups and co-branded events
• The "mountain-to-runway" aesthetic
• Attention to building interpersonal relations
• Beneficial to brand storytelling and conversation
• The opportunity here is about presence, not polish.
• It’s less about exclusivity and more about real visibility
• A high-net-worth consumer group with unique lifestyle needs
• A niche-specific, high-end, fashion-forward customer base
• Access to a finely tuned audience without the global noise

Immersive pop-ups and co-branded events

Emily Reynolds-Bergh, Owner at R Public Relations

"While many top-tier fashion shows are invitation-only, Aspen Fashion Week allows fashion lovers of all backgrounds to purchase tickets and participate in the festivities. That also means that Aspen Fashion Week designers keep the general public in mind when designing and pricing their pieces, making the entire event more accessible to a wider swath of fashionistas.

Emerging designers should consider experiential tactics, like immersive pop-ups and co-branded events, to attract new audiences to their designs. Fashion week is meant to be a memorable experience, and the best way to stand out is to create a truly unique moment for attendees."

The "mountain-to-runway" aesthetic

Keith Kakadia, Founder & CEO at Sociallyin

"Aspen Fashion Week offers a more intimate, curated atmosphere, which is less noise, with more niche attention. While NYFW is saturated with mega-brands, Aspen is prime ground for rising designers to stand out without needing a six-figure budget. It blends luxury and lifestyle, making it ideal for connecting with affluent, fashion-forward audiences in a more organic setting.

Smaller brands should lean into storytelling. Pitch micro-influencers attending the event, build Reels around the "mountain-to-runway" aesthetic, and prioritize real-time content, live TikToks, Instagram stories, and behind-the-scenes moments. Also, align with local media and boutique-style pop-ups; you’ll make more meaningful connections than simply trying to out-shout big names."

Attention to building interpersonal relations

Doug Crawford, Founder at Best Trade Schools LLC

"Aspen Fashion Week is smaller so, the smaller brands have a better chance to shine. It is also unlike big-name shows, where large labels command attention, Aspen is an intimate setting where emerging designers have access to buyers, media and influencers in a casual atmosphere. Being a fan of small businesses, I consider such an event gold, as it is the combination of authentic storytelling, in-person interactions, and niche luxury that creates a potent growth and brand awareness launching pad.

Give more attention to building interpersonal relations. You should send your stories to the small and niche fashion magazines before the event. Being a person who has helped brands flourish, I can tell you, it is essential to tell the story, why your brand is associated with the Aspen lifestyle. Stimulate communication with the followers with the help of real-time content (behind the scenes, live posts). Form a partnership with the influential people at the event. Then, pursue media and buyers after that. Sincere, constant pre-show, on-show and post-show marketing are capable of making one performance into long-term momentum."

Beneficial to brand storytelling and conversation

Syed Irfan Ajmal, Marketing Manager at Trendline SEO

"Aspen Fashion Week was designed for exploration—not for stratification.

Unlike NYFW or Paris Fashion Week, where new and unknown designers are often competing for residual attention of predecessors and celebrity hype, the focus of Aspen Fashion Week is a curated event, where brands may contrast with the umbrellas of a myriad of hosts, and new labels may be seated in the front row for buyers, press, and influencers actively looking for something new, with a sense of relaxed curiosity.

In the more intimate setting and slower pace of the event, compared to if it was staged in New York or Paris, indeed much slower, which is beneficial to brand storytelling and conversation.

Visibility is a plan, not a roll of the dice.

If you are an up-and-coming designer and want to take advantage of Aspen Fashion Week, here are some ways:

• Connect your brand to the mountain lifestyle. Emphasize the specificity of your collection based on Aspen’s culture (such as elevated après-ski, sustainability, luxury, or alpine heritage). This enhances relevance for attendees and local media.

• Activate beyond the runway! Things like pop-up shops, private styling sessions, and lounges provide high-touch experiences that Fashion Week does not offer without major investments in sponsorship. These activations transcend observers into customers!

• Pitch local media with exclusives! You’ll find regional outlets like 303 Magazine and Aspen Times actually embrace new talent and are much more amenable to reporters focusing on relevance and value when compared to some global fashion authority. You could pitch them early access or behind the scenes content for a scoop.

• Use real time content! Document your time in Aspen with designer diaries, live Q&As, and geo-tagged reels! Connect with attendees and event hashtags to increase genuine reach."

The opportunity here is about presence, not polish.

Marta Pawlik, co-founder at LAIK

"Aspen Fashion Week offers something smaller brands rarely get: room to breathe. There is less hierarchy, less noise, and fewer gatekeepers. Emerging designers are not competing with billion-dollar houses for a sliver of attention. They can show up as they are and have meaningful conversations with buyers, press, and stylists who are actually curious. This event is more intimate and gives designers the space to connect with the lifestyle Aspen embodies, which is a very specific mix of performance, luxury, and escapism. It is not just about high fashion on a runway. It is about how that jacket moves through snow or how a piece can transition from ski slope to supper club.

Designers should think visually and logistically. Bring something custom to the mountain, an après piece that works at 10,000 feet and looks sharp on a phone screen. Partner with local venues and create micro moments: a fur-lined pop-up at a lift entrance or a capsule line in a mountain lodge gift shop. Keep pricing visible and samples touchable. Have someone filming reactions and share those raw, unpolished clips. People respond to what feels personal. That works better than waiting for a Vogue editor to wander past. The opportunity here is about presence, not polish."

It’s less about exclusivity and more about real visibility

Vittoria  Spiezia, Head of Marketing at Sparkr

"Aspen Fashion Week is a more intimate and focused runway event, which means it’s less about exclusivity and more about real visibility. Here, small brands actually have the space to shine, get noticed, and build authentic relationships with press, buyers, and influencers. It’s a less crowded, more accessible environment that values the quality and story behind a brand—not just the name.

At bigger events like NYFW or Paris Fashion Week, if you're not already "someone," it’s easy to stay invisible. But in Aspen, emerging designers have a real chance to make some noise. If you want to stand out, the first thing you need to do is tell your story—and tell it with passion. Media and potential clients want to know who you are, what inspires you, and what makes your brand different. It’s about the narrative, not just the product. Reach out to local journalists and influencers tied to mountain lifestyle or après-ski culture, and invite them to discover your collection. Even a simple, personal message can go a long way.

During the event, be present, open, and approachable. Join social moments, network genuinely. Bring polished materials (lookbooks, QR codes, quick links), and make use of Instagram and TikTok in real-time. Show the behind-the-scenes of your journey and share your experience authentically. Today more than ever, being real is the real PR strategy."

A high-net-worth consumer group with unique lifestyle needs

Dan Mogolesko, Owner at JD Buys Homes

"Aspen Fashion Week offers small businesses an enormous competitive advantage over the major fashion weeks since it targets a very focused, high-net-worth consumer group with unique lifestyle needs. Compared to NYFW or Paris Fashion Week, with thousands of brands competing for shelf space, Aspen Fashion Week's first season offers a blue ocean environment where new businesses can position themselves as change agents within the luxury mountain lifestyle category.

The most significant advantage is in the quality of the audience instead of the numbers. Aspen attracts customers who appreciate luxury and are willing to spend money on exclusive products that fit their lifestyle. This equates to immediate sales potential instead of just brand visibility, which is all that prominent brand names can manage with busy, large fashion shows.

For PR, up-and-coming designers need to target three strategies. First, collaborate with Aspen local businesses such as ski resorts, high-end boutiques, and luxury hotels to develop cross-promotional alliances beyond the festival. Second, capitalise on the exclusivity factor by branding themselves as "discovered at the inaugural Aspen Fashion Week" to develop a collector cache with fashionistas. Third, establish après-ski lifestyle content featuring their designs in real Aspen environments, creating social media buzz among the target demographic who appreciate experiential luxury.

Clever designers will also capitalise on the media spotlight surrounding this inaugural event by giving exclusive interviews regarding their concept for high-end fashion in the mountains, positioning themselves as market leaders in this emerging space.

Aspen Fashion Week offers smaller brands a chance to be big fish in a boutique pond rather than getting lost in the sea of major fashion capitals."

A niche-specific, high-end, fashion-forward customer base

Sonali Dharve, Digital Marketing Manager at AVN Treatment

"Aspen Fashion Week offers a unique benefit for small companies and up-and-coming designers over mature giants such as New York Fashion Week or Paris Fashion Week. Here's why:

NYFW and PFW are overly saturated. Thousands of designers are competing for attention, so it becomes difficult for new brands to stand out. AFW, as being first and more specialty-focused, provides a less saturated space where new brands can truly stand out and be in the spotlight more directly.

Aspen's customer base is niche-specific – high-end, fashion-forward, and respectful of luxury and mountain-inspired tastes. AFW's concentration on trendy winter apparel and Après-ski style enables smaller labels with a relevant niche to have direct access to their target customer base and industry professionals who are sincerely interested in their particular offerings. This niche-based focus can equate to more qualified leads and stronger connections than the larger, more general audience at bigger fashion weeks.

Instead of presenting garments, present your brand's narrative. What prompted your collection? Why is it special? Highlight any eco-friendliness, one-of-a-kind materials, or local Aspen inspiration where possible."

Access to a finely tuned audience without the global noise

Anatolii Ulitovskyi, Founder at UNmiss.com

"Aspen offers a rare opportunity that major fashion weeks can't: access to a finely tuned, high-net-worth audience without being engulfed in the global noise.

Often, at NYFW or Paris, smaller brands get overshadowed by luxury giants who can afford seven-figure budgets, but Aspen levels that field with location-centric storytelling and fewer distractions.

That's where the smart PR will come into its own: lean into mountain lifestyle storytelling, collaborate with influencers on-site, and craft micro-campaigns around Après-ski culture.

I'd suggest pop-up styling events or QR-lookbooks adjacent to hotels, on the slopes, or near spas to convert some foot traffic into digital social.

Advance press before the event by pitching niche luxury, outdoor, and travel editors who will tell the story outside of fashion columns.

Document everything: behind-the-scenes, preparation for fittings, snow-drenched showcases; then, within 24 hours, all of it goes on short-form platforms.

Speed, relevance, and storytelling are the reasons smaller brands can really punch above their weight here."

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