How to Design the Best Fashion Show Lighting?
Runway shows have been the iconic event for fashion brands, for getting press coverage and communicating their unique identity. Brands like ZARA had livestreamed their new collection on the short-video platform, generating approximately $ 70,000 of GMV in a single night. The clips and images also sparked a wide discussion online. Shortly, ZARA’s “simplicity, classic, and effortless chic” branding image has altered the fast-fashion stereotype.
And among all the discussions on the livestreaming runway show design, lighting has been the main character. If you are wondering how to design the fashion show lighting that can help you win applause, then this guide is exactly for you.
How Come Lighting is Important in Fashion Shows?
Effective lighting is a strategic tool that profoundly impacts how a collection is perceived, captured, and experienced. Its role can be broken down into several key areas:
Showcasing the Designs
Proper illumination ensures that every stitch, fabric texture, and hue is seen precisely as the designer intended. Without it, intricate details can be lost, and colors can appear distorted or washed out.
Balanced and controlled lighting prevents models and garments from appearing overexposed or underlit. It eliminates harsh shadows that can obscure key design elements, ensuring a consistent and flattering look as models move along the runway.
Setting the Mood & Ambiance
Lighting is a powerful mood-setter. It guides the audience’s emotional response and reinforces the narrative of the collection.
Soft, warm lighting can bring intimacy and elegance, while cool, sharp beams might create a modern, edgy, or dramatic atmosphere. This allows designers to connect with the audience on a deeper, emotional level, enhancing the overall artistic statement of the show.
Enhancing Photography & Videography
Fashion shows are a significant source of content for magazines, social media, and marketing. Exceptional lighting ensures that photographers and videographers can capture clear, crisp, and color-accurate images and footage.
Balanced, evenly distributed light is vital to avoid overexposure or deep shadows, making every shot print-ready and social-media-shareable, crucial for widespread publicity.
Learn from ZARA – Fashion Show Lighting Design that will Make a Hit
Wanna bring your show some discussions online? Don’t forget to get these right to ensure your collection is presented flawlessly.
Balanced Lighting Setup
The foundation of effective runway lighting is a balanced setup. This means achieving even light distribution along the entire length of the runway.
The goal is to eliminate “hot spots” (overly bright areas) and “cold spots” (dark, underlit areas) that can distort the appearance of garments or make models disappear into shadow.
Professionals often aim for at least 85-90% consistent illumination across the entire catwalk to guarantee every look is captured uniformly, regardless of the model’s position.
Lighting Angles & Techniques
The direction from which light hits the model and clothing significantly impacts how details, textures, and silhouettes are perceived. Different angles serve distinct purposes:
Front Lighting: Positioned in front of the runway, typically at about a 45-degree angle to the runway, this is crucial for illuminating models’ faces and the front of the garments. It’s often supplemented at the end of the catwalk where models pause, ensuring photographers get clear, well-lit shots.
Cross Lighting: This is a vital technique where lights are positioned on both sides of the runway, angled to “cross” over the models. Often hung to create an upside-down ‘V’ shape, this ensures both the front and back of the garments are illuminated as the model walks, providing comprehensive visibility.
Side Lighting: Placed at 90-degree angles to the runway, side lighting adds depth and dimension to the garments, highlighting textures and fabric movement.
Backlighting: Positioned behind the models, backlighting creates a dramatic halo effect, separating the model from the background and adding a sense of grandeur or mystery.
Overhead Lighting: Located directly above the runway, this provides general ambient illumination and can be used to create specific shadows or effects, though it needs careful control to avoid harsh top-down shadows on models’ faces.
Source: https://www.theatrecrafts.com/pages/home/topics/lighting/lighting-focussing-a-general-wash/
Color Temperature
The color temperature of the lights (measured in Kelvin, K) dramatically influences how colors appear on the runway.
Warm white light (around 2700K-3500K) often evokes a more intimate, classic, or sophisticated feel and is frequently preferred for its ability to accurately display the natural colors of fabrics and skin tones.
Conversely, cooler temperatures (4000K-6500K) create a crisp, modern, and sometimes stark aesthetic, which can be suitable for avant-garde or futuristic collections. Choosing the right color temperature is critical to ensuring the collection’s true palette is accurately represented.
Controlling Light Spill
“Light spill” refers to light that extends beyond the intended area, potentially illuminating the audience, stage crew, or unwanted parts of the set. Controlling spill is essential for maintaining focus on the runway and preventing distractions.
Tools like barn doors (adjustable flaps on light fixtures) and gobos (stencils used to project patterns or shape light) are used to precisely shape and control the light beam, ensuring it remains confined to the runway and its immediate surroundings.
Lighting Equipment for Fashion Shows
The fashion lighting groups consist of different fixtures for different purposes.
Ellipsoidal Lights (Profile Lights):
Known for their precise beam control, sharp edges, and ability to project patterns (gobos). They are excellent for creating crisp, focused pools of light that highlight specific areas or models, and for controlling light spill. Their accuracy ensures garments are lit without distracting halos or bleed.
8800-C42
An energy-saving LED profile light with a long service life and quiet operation. It offers high brightness and precise positioning, ideal for theatres, TV, and large-scale events.
LED Pars (Parabolic Aluminized Reflector Lights)
LED Pars are versatile, color-mixing fixtures that provide a broad wash of light. They are invaluable for general stage illumination, creating ambient color washes, or backlighting the runway.
MAMBA
A high-performance RGBW LED bar with a 3.6°–53° zoom for dynamic control. It delivers stunning effects for concerts, TV studios, and events.
PL1215II
An IP66-rated LED wash light with a 7°-55° zoom and a color calibration system. Features a compact, durable housing and independent ring control for versatile effects.
Moving Lights (Moving Heads)
Often considered the dynamic backbone of modern fashion shows, moving head fixtures offer great flexibility. They can pan, tilt, change color, project gobos, and adjust beam size, allowing for complex lighting cues, dramatic chases, and highlighting individual models as they move. They come in various types:
Beam Lights: Create sharp, narrow, intense beams of light, often used for aerial effects or powerful highlights.
AURORA AQUA
A versatile and waterproof moving head that combines beam, wash, and gobo effects. Features Dynamic Thermal Control for reliable performance.
Spot Lights & Gobos: Offer focused beams with the ability to project patterns (gobos) and create defined shapes.
SUPER SCOPE II
A versatile 4-in-1 moving head with beam, spot, wash, and profile functions. Features an energy-efficient LED, exceptional optics with a wide zoom, and an advanced CMY color system.
Wash Lights: Similar to LED Washes but with the added mobility of a moving head, allowing for dynamic color changes and movement.
PEARL WASH
A dual-function moving head combining beam and wash effects. Features a high-power RGBL LED source, advanced color mixing, wide zoom range, and precise zoned lighting control.
AQUAPEARL-SMART
An IP66 waterproof moving head with a 360° rotating front lens for vortex and kaleidoscopic effects. Features individual LED control, a wide zoom range, and vibrant RGBW color mixing.
Contact LiGHT SKY for More Expert Lighting
Don’t let your creativity be diminished by inadequate illumination. The intricate details, luxurious textures, and carefully chosen colors of your collection deserve to be seen in their absolute best light.
Ready to bring your fashion show vision to life with breathtaking illumination? Contact LiGHT SKY today for comprehensive stage lighting solutions that will make your next event truly shine.
