Catwalk History

Before the inception of the ‘catwalk or runway,’ a model would display the designer’s clothes in teahouses or private showrooms. Teahouses were similar to restaurants where tea would be served and models would go from table to table wearing the clothes holding a number and if a customer wanted to purchase the garment he or she would write the number down and then present it to the order taker who would then make the arrangement for the sale of the garment. Private showings started in Europe and quickly spread throughout the United States and the rest of the world. As fashion designers wanted to reach a broader audience, they needed a way of showing the clothes in a more glamorous way.

The catwalk or runway was taken from the teahouses and private showrooms, to an elevated long platform that reached close enough into the audience and gave the audience a chance to view the garments as the models walked the runway stopped, struck a quick pose and then quickly walked off the catwalk. Runway modeling took off in the sixties and is one of the most demanding forms of modeling.

The model must be a minimum of 5’9 or taller, preferably between (16-25), very thin and able to walk in various types of shoes. With the proliferation of cable television, fashion magazines, mainstream media and the Internet the term ‘catwalk or runway’ have become household words. In 1992 a song by the group Right Said Fred made a parody song ‘I’m Too Sexy’ about the catwalk and poked fun at the world of modeling. Runway modeling has helped to make models famous too the point they are simply known by their first names. Every year during fashion week brings the catwalk alive displaying the latest fashions and designers.