Now In Vogue: Courier Services for Fashion
The fashion industry is one of the most fast-paced trades in the city, with year-round activity, increasing competition, and a demand for keen attention to detail. Fashion projects have a lot of moving pieces and things can easily fall through the cracks when clothing and accessories aren't in the right place at the right time. What should have been an exciting shoot or groundbreaking collection can quickly turn into a designer mess.
Fashion companies need logistics they can trust. And at a time where supply chains are still disrupted and major carriers can't keep pace with shipping demands, more fashion designers and planners are shifting to more reliable alternatives - like courier services.
A courier service (sometimes called a messenger service) is a bespoke delivery service that oversees the delivery of your items for the entire journey. Rather than your precious fashion pieces trading hands multiple times, sitting in warehouses, and being transferred from truck to truck, one person handles your entire delivery.
Airpals professional courier service is a frontrunner in New York's fashion industry. We collect and deliver items in the shortest timeframe possible, with faster speed, fewer restrictions, and real-time tracking. While we can't time travel when you need items delivered yesterday, we can promise you that items will safely arrive by the guaranteed deadline.
The Benefits of Fashion Couriers
The word 'courier' might have a vintage ring to it. But like mom jeans and silk scarves, professional courier services have been redesigned to cater to a new generation of business needs.
Anne Hathaway playing the role of overworked assistant Andy Sachs in the now-iconic movie Devil Wears Prada
The Need for 'Now'
For starters, more businesses and individuals alike expect (and demand) instant gratification. It's the world we live in, thanks to on-demand services like Lyft, Netflix, and DoorDash. People are less willing to wait for items, especially since so many companies have shown us that rapid response services and same-day deliveries are possible.
But even large-scale logistics companies like FedEx and UPS that have lots of manpower and technology can't accomplish what a courier service can. Because they deal in such large volumes and have longer processing procedures, getting same-day delivery in a city the size of New York isn't usually feasible.
Because fashion is such a high-stakes industry in New York, having guaranteed timely deliveries is not optional. Time is money for designers, producers, PR firms, and models, and the longer deliveries are delayed, the more costly a project becomes to your bottom line and your reputation.
When you need it now, there's no better option than Airpals. Courier services specialize in tight turnaround times and last-minute requests. That's what makes it so ideally suited for unplanned needs or urgent items that need rapid guaranteed delivery.
Fewer Size and Package Restrictions
When using traditional shipping means, senders are held to certain standards for packaging. You don't see hanging garment bags being shipped in a big brown truck, for instance. Having to box fashion items for shipping usually means having to also ship a steamer to make sure the clothing will look its best before using it in the project. There are also lots of size and weight restrictions to consider, especially when it comes to calculating shipping costs.
Courier services offer more flexibility in terms of size, weight, and packaging. From wrapped gifts to clear-front garment boxes and bags, we're more concerned that your items are packed well and that we have the most accurate delivery and contact information from our clients.
Fashion Packing Expertise
While we're on the subject of packing, let's just agree that not all fashion pieces fit nice and neat into a box. Some items just aren't meant to be folded. We've worked with clients who send multi-piece ensembles, with each piece specially wrapped and labeled so the recipient knows how it should be worn. We've seen delicate items that require special attention. And we've had clients who want to make a strong first impression before their packages are even opened.
Packaging matters, especially when you need to protect items during transport. If you're not sure how to go about packing a ball gown or special ensemble, you can lean on our expertise and packing materials to snugly secure your items for transport.
Courier services like Airpals provide you with expert advice and guidance on how to package your fashion pieces. Because your items are not being subjected to tons of processing and exchanging of hands during shipping, we can help to predict the amount of stress your packages may go through before reaching their destination so you can pack accordingly.
Real-Time Tracking
We've all done it: order something online, get a shipment notification, and track it religiously… only to find that the delivery status updates about once a day. This leaves a lot of questions about where your order actually is: is it on a truck? In a warehouse? If it's on a truck, is it traveling through an area that might be impacted by a current weather event? If it's in a warehouse, is it in the queue to go onto the next truck?
Courier services with real-time tracking don't leave you guessing. You can track your package's entire journey across New York City and know for certain when it will arrive. Keep tabs on your item to plan for potential early arrivals and let your recipient know when to expect it. In addition, you also have a direct line to your courier so you can get verbal updates about your package's whereabouts and arrival times. Your delivery partner is more accessible without having to wade through call queues and wait on hold for hours.
This is what we consider next-level service that all logistics providers should get on board with.
Ongoing Relationships
One of the most notable reasons why fashion companies use courier services is the personal relationships they develop, a feat that just isn't the same when using the post office or similar logistics. Because of the more direct communication and bespoke services, your courier gets to learn more about your business, your expectations, and your needs and preferences the longer you work together. This helps your courier to add even more value to your company, as we're able to make better recommendations and accommodations to serve you.
How the New York Fashion Industry Uses Airpals Courier Service
At Airpals, we offer flexible, customizable courier services for our fashion clients. Efficient, secure, and cost-effective, Airpals guarantees delivery and places every product directly into the hands of the recipient. Whether designers need an extra hand during Fashion Week or during their daily operations, a courier with fashion industry experience gives you more peace of mind. Here's how we're helping some of the biggest players in New York's fashion scene run a more predictable business.
For Fashion Brands
Fashion brands are constantly sending and receiving samples to wow clients and stakeholders alike. Having the right pieces to show at the right times is how strong brands are built. So when special pieces don't arrive on time for scheduled meetings, clients may move on to competing brands.
We know that every piece of clothing, accessory, and footwear has a lot of time and design work behind it. More importantly, we recognize that someone's job may be on the line when it comes to transporting important project-related pieces, and we take that responsibility very seriously.
With Airpals, fashion brands depend on a one-stop shop. From timely pickup to real-time tracking to guaranteed delivery, we're taking the guesswork out of sending and receiving samples to help brands maintain their image and competitive edge.
For Photo and Video Producers
Video and photo producers in the fashion industry often take on more of the workload than their job title implies. They're not just taking photos and videos: they're also navigating lighting and equipment, handling location logistics, getting permits, fixing sound issues, and even finding ways to make fashion pieces shine through the camera. And let's not get started on all the interfacing with models and fashion clients, creating dynamic environments, and keeping everyone happy to get the best editorial results.
We've been there. Our founder is a fashion veteran and knows that, more often than not, the weight of a project falls squarely on the shoulders of producers and project managers. That's why we offer special logistical support for these roles. You're already working against the clock and have limited daylight, people resources, and time in the space they're working in.
Airpals helps you take back your time by handling some of the heavy lifting for you. From transporting photo and video equipment to ensuring fashion, sets, and other materials are on set when you're ready to shoot, we do the legwork so that creativity can thrive.
For Stylists
Stylists are tasked with taking the giving life to the products of the fashion industry. This often means scouring the city in search of the best single pieces and showing how they can work together to produce the right effect. It's a tiring job, though. Pairing standalone pieces into magazine-quality ensembles takes a lot of hands-on work, not to mention planning so that all pieces are available, polished, and ready for a client, photoshoot, or show.
Airpals is the best-kept secret among the best stylists in New York. With our logistics expertise, stylists can collect and combine all pieces of clothing and accessories from their favorite brands and showrooms. Find what you need online or across your many adventures through the city, then have Airpals act as your "personal assistant" to acquire the pieces you need.
And after an exhausting event or project, we can even handle your returns, too. We'll reverse our course to send back borrowed items to the rightful brand or designer and provide proof of receipt to lighten your paperwork load.
For PR and Consultancy Firms
Arguably, PR and consultancy firms have one of the greatest reputational risks in the fashion industry. They're not only managing their own image, but also the reputation and image of all of their fashion clients. That's why only perfection is acceptable when working with PR and consultancies, and Airpals delivers with confidence.
In a world where boxes are thrown at your doorstep or items are left in mailrooms for days without sending a proper notification, a courier service brings a new level of care and respect. Every package is handled as though it were our own, and items are only left in the care of the intended recipient, not in the street or outside a door where they could be overlooked, stolen, or otherwise damaged.
This is why PR and consultancy firms trust us to deliver parcels to celebrities, high-profile individuals, and their valuable partners and clients. From event invitations to gift boxes, we deliver items knowing that we are an extension of our customer's brand.
For Last Minute or Special Requests
At Airpals, we have the benefit of a bird's eye view of how players in the fashion industry depend on courier services like ours. We recognize that every project is different and that a one size fits all approach doesn't always work for everyone. When your project can't be flexible to meet the "norms," trust that we can be flexible to meet your needs.
We're no strangers to handling complex projects, even if it's something that hasn't been done before. From multi-stop orders to bulk orders to rush deliveries, it's our job to find a way to make it work. However, we never compromise safety of your items or our personnel to achieve your desired outcome.
We load all items for transport with the utmost care and attention and are constantly checking in with our drivers to ensure they are driving safely and on target to reach critical deadlines. Doing so usually means not achieving the desired end result in the first place, so we focus on getting all of your garments, equipment, and packages to their destination in as timely and efficient a manner as possible.
It's confidence without corner-cutting, the way a professional delivery should be.
Schedule New York Fashion Courier Services!
With strong connections to New York's fashion industry, we bring a depth of expertise that many logistics providers and couriers can't match. Not to mention, we love working with fashion companies to make your projects a success. When you shine, we shine, too.
Use our online portal to schedule same-day pickup and delivery, get transparent pricing, and track your delivery in real-time. Get started today!