As a fashion student, working at Fashion Week is a dream. But not everyone has the opportunity to be in a major city to attend the event.

Luckily, I was studying at the London College of Fashion this year through its study abroad program.

With a long list of press emails, I emailed just about every designer who had a show Saturday. I scored two volunteer positions, one at Mother of Pearl and one at Emilia Wickstead.

Volunteers for Mother of Pearl arrived at 7:15 a.m., and the show started at 9:15 a.m., giving us two hours to prepare.

We were able to see the backstage area, hair and makeup, and the changing area when we first arrived.

We then worked in the venue of the show setting up press releases and greeting guests as they entered. The venue was at the Café Royal Hotel in a small luxurious room with a gold ceiling.

Many of the guests at the show were UK press, bloggers and some American press. The volunteering experience was very relaxed, calm and enjoyable. It was a great way to start the day.

After volunteering for Mother of Pearl I went on to Emilia Wickstead near Kings Cross and the University of the Arts London. The venue was a very large industrial-style space, but the floor was covered in bubblegum pink carpet, and the benches were painted a bright pink.

My experience at Emilia Wickstead was completely opposite of the one I had at Mother of Pearl. Hair and makeup artists, along with a large group of employees, swarmed the backstage of the show.

We received wristbands and T-shirts to where while working when we first arrived and checked in. I was in charge of unloading the garments from the truck, placing the press releases on each seat and dressing a model backstage.

The day was very frantic and full of energy. All of the volunteers spent the day running around and trying to make sure every last detail was perfect.

Dressing a model backstage was a great experience. As a dresser, I gained more insight into what happens backstage at a major fashion show.

I suggest volunteering at Fashion Week to anyone who gets the opportunity. Volunteers get incredible experience and an opportunity to bolster their résumés.

The best way to contact designers is through the Fashion Week website. Emailing 20 to 30 designers gives students a better chance of earning a volunteer position because many of them likely won’t respond.

Most of the designers or shows on the Fashion Week website provide a press contact. Students can email them regarding volunteer positions and explain why they are interested in helping behind the scenes. It helps for students to give some background about previous experience and why they think they would be an asset to the fashion show team.