When watching events like fashion weeks or other major spectacles, one might wonder how exactly those audience members got to be there.
For the most part, the answer is influence. Major brands and labels will invite celebrities and influencers to events in order to increase the number of eyes on their product and hopefully get a press write-up in the process.
However, that’s not always how people enter these events. According to TikTok user Sam (@samiamdean), many of these events can be attended through deception.
In a video with over 1.3 million views, Sam details how she attended several shows at New York Fashion Week after spending just $1.
@samiamdean Life hack, get a professional email address for $1 #fashion #nyfw #fashionweek #lifehack ♬ original sound – Sam
“If you ever want to seem more legit, just buy an email address,” she explains.
She then details how users can buy a domain with an accompanying email address for just $1. Using this, they can email major events and ask for invites.
According to Sam, this has a high success rate.
“I wanted to go to Fashion Week, so I bought an email that was, like, a media-sounding email,” she recalls. “I went to, like, every show.”
Sam then notes that users can buy websites with names that sound applicable to the event in question. For example, if one wants to attend a music event, they can add “media group” to the end of their website, Sam advises.
“People don’t check,” Sam alleges.
In another video, Sam explains that the process is not as easy as simply buying a domain, as brands will not just invite someone because their title sounds official.
@samiamdean How to get an invite to a fashion show? #fashionweek #nyfw #fashion #fashionshow #nycfashion #fashionschool ♬ original sound – Sam
Instead, Sam notes an email to a brand should be short and detail why your presence at the event will be an asset to the brand.
She also suggests following up with both the brands who haven’t responded and those who have rejected the request, as “sometimes plans change.”
In the comments section of Sam’s video, viewers spoke on the veracity of Sam’s idea.
“For a living I have to email ppl & collect their W9 (SSN) &I’m always shocked they just give it to me just bcs my email address has the right ending,” wrote one user.
“This is actually great advice for a lot of situations,” added another. “People often really don’t check, they’re tired and don’t care enough to look that deeply.”
“I know someone who was a hobby photographer. He’d print up an official looking badge [that] said photographer and go to shows and get to photograph them,” claimed a third.
As Sam put it in one response, “It’s all confidence!!”
The Daily Dot reached out to Sam via email.
