Actress Salma Hayek takes a photo with her mobile phone as she attends the British designer Stella McCartney Spring/Summer 2017 women's ready-to-wear collection during Fashion Week in Paris, France October 3, 2016.Reuters file 
A model presents a creation by Italian designer Giorgio Armani as part of his Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2017 fashion show for Giorgio Armani Prive in Paris, France, January 24, 2017.Reuters file
Celebrities endorsing products for a fee is known to all; what is not probably unknown to some is the fact that A-list celebrities are paid for sitting on the front row of fashion shows. Yes, it's true and the price these days is not worth it, according to fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger. How does it go in India? How much money desi designers pay to Indian A-listers, presuming that they do?
Before we seek answers to these questions, let's first know what Hilfiger recently said.
"A star's presence does nothing to move the needle," the 65-year-old designer was quoted as saying by the New York Times.
Read: Gigi Hadid appreciates Tommy Hilfiger for loving her curves
Blame it on fashion fatigue, cash crunch or the celebs getting overexposed due to the frequency of fashion shows, there seems to be a rethink on whether it makes business sense to pay A-listers anywhere between $25,000 to $100,000 (industry estimates) for sitting on the front row.
Actress Angelina Jolie's presence comes for as high as $1 million in the fashion industry's "pay-for-pose" practice, Hilfiger was quoted as saying by the NYT.
Another factor that has cropped up is the impact of these A-listers on consumers and publicists. "People can tell it's a paid front row. Does anyone really believe that Drew Barrymore and Diane Kruger are going to Seven jeans because they like Seven jeans?" Kelly Cutrone, a fashion publicist, told the daily.
There are no estimates of Indian celebrities being paid for attending fashion shows. Fashionistas would be eager to know the scene in India, given many Bollywood celebrities such as Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor often grace the fashion shows of Indian designers.
