Within a few years of its 2017 launch, New York-based ready-to-wear brand Markarian became a red carpet regular, its sparkling dresses were routinely seen on A-listers like Laura Dern, Kerry Washington and Blake Lively. At the time, red carpet was the cornerstone of the brand’s publicity strategy.
But as bid-budget luxury labels have doubled down on the red carpet, it’s become more of an afterthought.
“It’s impossible for us to keep up,” said Markarian founder Alexandra O’Neill. “I’ve started thinking about who I’m designing for in a different way and being realistic about the opportunities that are available to us.”
Since the pandemic, LVMH and Kering’s stables of brands, plus the likes of Armani, Chanel, Prada and Versace, have funneled more money than ever into the red carpet — creating splashy custom dresses, digging into the archives and inking exclusive (and expensive) celebrity contracts. On the big red carpets — including the Oscars, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Grammys and Emmys — a pattern has emerged.
“It’s going to be Louis Vuitton, it’s going to be Dior, it’s going to be one or two Schiaparelli,” said Robert Wun, the designer behind his namesake, London-based couture line, whose dramatic designs have been worn by musicians Cardi B, Lady Gaga and recently Kehlani at the 2025 Grammy Awards. “You already know the game.”
To be sure, bigger labels have long dominated the space, but their growing reach has made red carpet dressing seem like a less viable marketing tool for emerging designers. Reaping the benefits of a red carpet placement — and simply getting on the carpet in the first place — is increasingly challenging.
There are also economic factors at play: a slow-growth luxury market and widespread wholesale upheaval have tested independent brands in particular. Red carpet dressing is a costly — and tenuous — endeavour. Bending over backwards for the chance at a celebrity spot is a luxury many can no longer afford.
It’s still hard to find a better awareness boost than being worn by a celebrity on a big stage, but emerging brands have had to shift their tactics. Many are prioritising long-term and more strategic relationships with celebrities and stylists, lesser carpets and other events. Plus, they’re leaning into their uniqueness and being more discerning about what opportunities will benefit them most.
“As an emerging brand, everyone wants to put you on the rack just to fill it. We cannot afford that dynamic and we don’t perpetuate it,” said Gregory Mitola, founder of Etagere PR, which handles press and VIP strategy for Colleen Allen, a New York-based label that launched in 2024. “There’s value to this brand and this product. We have to create ‘main character’ energy.”
The Red Carpet Boom
Getting a look on the right celebrity on the red carpet can be huge for a young brand. For example, Lady Gaga generated more media impact for Australian-Taiwanese designer Samuel Lewis by simply wearing one of his dresses at this year’s Grammys than 80 percent of New York Fashion Week shows in February, said Alison Bringé, chief marketing officer of Launchmetrics.
But it’s increasingly competitive to snag those placements, and many feel they are fighting harder for a shrinking piece of the pie.
Nowadays, big names are increasingly opting for younger, up-and-coming stars, who previously were mostly dressed by emerging brands. Mikey Madison, the 25-year-old actress nominated for an Oscar for her role in “Anora,” has worn Loewe, Louis Vuitton and Bottega Veneta this awards season. Where stylists used to tap unexpected designers to drive excitement; now they have other (perhaps more effective) options, like digging into a storied house’s archive, said Jessica Morgan, co-founder of the red carpet blog Go Fug Yourself.
According to Savannah Engel, founder of the fashion PR firm Savi, which counts Markarian as a client, having something in the works, then watching a big name swoop in with a sweeter deal is now standard.
As jewellery designer Bernard James describes it: “Its a sigh of relief when a [custom piece] is finished and handed over. But then a wave of depression when the person walks out [without it].”
The trend is a natural evolution, Engel said, and one positive outcome is stylists getting paid more regularly. But it has resulted in what she calls a “monopoly over red carpets.”
All these factors have more brands feeling that red carpets may not be the best way to spend their limited marketing budget in an already perilous market. Like Markarian, designer Bach Mai (which had been worn by Megan Thee Stallion and Kate Beckinsale) is re-centring design and marketing efforts on top clients — the people who actually buy the clothes.
“[Red carpet] is not something we’re putting time and energy and resources toward because it seems, much like fashion shows, [you need to be] a big machine,” said Mai, who also opted not to show at New York Fashion Week this past season. However, he’s not opposed to taking opportunities that come his way: Model Ashley Graham wore one of the brand’s gowns to this year’s Golden Globes.
Standing Out in a Crowd
While there are new challenges, the red carpet is not quite a lost cause for emerging labels.
This year, a number had big moments: At the Grammys, there was Gaga in Samuel Lewis and Jaden Smith in an eye-catching headpiece by clothing brand Abodi Transylvania. This week, British independent label Emilia Wickstead made headlines for dressing Emma Stone (usually in Louis Vuitton) at the Independent Spirit Awards.
Thanks to Hollywood’s increasingly long promotional tours and social media’s broad reach, there are more carpets — and non-carpet celebrity moments — that matter. Emerging designers had a presence at Saturday Night Live’s 50-year anniversary celebration in February, for example. Comedian Heidi Gardner wore Markarian on the carpet and Sandy Liang to the afterparty, while ascendant style-star Ayo Edibiri, styled by Danielle Goldberg, wore a gown by Colleen Allen. New York-based womenswear brand LaQuan Smith prioritises afterparties: not only are stars more willing to experiment, it fits with the brand’s fun vibe, said Jacqueline Cooper, designer LaQuan Smith’s business partner.
“We pay attention to what our audience is paying attention to … blogs, Instagram and TikTok accounts will pick it up,” said Cooper. “Its not just the red carpet but everything around it.”
For established brands red carpet is just another marketing lever, while for emerging brands it builds credibility, said Bringé, so their approaches differ. Emerging brands aren’t playing the same game as big labels — the era of inflated budgets has laid that bare — but they also shouldn’t be.
“This is not our battle. We are not going to go into this marketing warfare, which we don’t have the capacity or capital to do,” said couture designer Wun. “If you get to only dress one or two [people] in a year, if they’re great, it doesn’t matter if others are dressing 40.”
Wun charges for looks; but people still come to him because he offers something different, he said. Wearing an independent designer implies something extra: “They wear us because they love us, not based on a paycheck,” said Cooper.
Plus, there may be a limit to how much big brands can show up without reaching the point of diminishing return on attention, said Morgan: “It’s boring.”
Content shared from www.businessoffashion.com.
