A different kind of runway at the Atlanta airport -- this one for fashion
A different kind of runway appeared at the Atlanta airport, this one for fashion models rather than jets.
An event called Global Runway drew fashionistas to, of all places, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Wednesday.
The busy airport’s second-annual fashion presentation showed off its retail shops, such as Brooks Brothers, SPANX, Coach, Michael Kors, among others.
"When I’m traveling, there’s always times when I forget something, or I need something," host Kahlana Barfield Brown told "Good Morning America." "So it’s nice to know ... the retail experience that the Atlanta airport has to offer."
Barfield Brown, who has served as fashion and beauty editor for InStyle magazine for more than 10 years, said that when she's traveling through airports, she loves spotting a MAC store.
"I always need lip liner or makeup-remover wipes," she admitted. "I had to go grab some makeup=remover wipes to get on my airplane [on Wednesday]."
Global Runway was created by Hartsfield-Jackson's concessions marketing manager, Pam Simmons.
"We’re the world’s busiest airport, and we have more than 280,000 people coming through each day," Simmons told "GMA."
Simmons, 36, said she wanted to create a "high-impact" experience that reminded native Georgians -- and those just passing through -- that Hartsfield-Jackson is "almost like a mall."
"We have everything," from high-end luxury stores to more affordable retail, she said. "We just have so much. There's a real opportunity for people to shop while they’re waiting on their flights."
The Global Runway event reflects a trend: Airport retail is going strong.
Analysts expect the airport retail market to grow from $4.15 billion in 2015 to $9.9 billion by 2020, according to MicroMarket Monitor.
Recognizing this growth, Hartsfield-Jackson launched its fashion event last year to promote its shopping program, ATL Skypointe, which sprawls out to all five concourses.
Along with a fashion presentation, the event this week featured mini-makeovers, pop-up shops and other shopping opportunities.
