It’s that time of year again in New York City. The trendy restaurants are booked solid, there are black Escalades everywhere and the white tents are up in Lincoln Center. It’s Fashion Week, and this year for the first time, fashionistas everywhere are given real-time access to the runway thanks to Maybelline New York, the official makeup sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

Throughout the seven day fashion extravaganza connoisseurs who aren’t lucky enough to have a press pass (or volunteer pass for that matter) can tune into the Maybelline New York YouTube channel where 30 runway shows are being streamed live. The live video is supported by a #liverunway Twitter aggregator that pulls in consumer conversations about the live show, and is wired with Facebook and Twitter Connect for easy content sharing.

The Fashion Week access that Maybelline is providing consumers through social media is unprecedented. Never before has a regular gal like me been able to see the latest looks and designs of Monique Lhuillier and Christian Siriano at the same time as Anna Wintour and Nina Garcia. Thanks to social media, a coveted seat under that white tent, which by nature is so exclusive, is suddenly so attainable. An excellent case study of how brands can use social technology to provide consumers with exclusive access to the content they crave, thus further establishing and strengthening the consumer/brand connection/relationship.

Maybelline’s decision to provide consumers with exclusive Fashion Week access is no accident. Over the past year Maybelline has taken an extremely editorial position in the marketplace, providing consumers with trend reports, make-up lessons and more through their digital and social properties. The Fashion Week initiatives are an extension of this stance, deeply engaging consumers with fashion and New York, two pillars of the Maybelline brand, up close and personal.

-Briel Z, Senior Account Executive