An essential purpose of this blog, is to inform an audience about the fundamentals of fashion public relations. I wasn’t exactly sure what fashion pr entailed when I started researching it a couple of years ago, it was somewhat a foreign subcategory of fashion itself. Fashion is not just based on design and the structure of apparel created by designers, but how the design will be presented to the public for purchase. Fashion designers need business savvy partners in order to fulfill the demands of the fashion world and also to gain an avid group of followers.
Public Relations is formally defined as “an activity aimed at the increasing communication and understanding between an organization, individual, or groups called publics”.
The ultimate goal for a specific institution using public relations as an effort is to gain the favor of the general public, good communication is a key part of this process.
Fashion Public Relations has the same general goal, specifically using communication efforts to market a designer and brand that designer into mainstream media. A fashion designer is known for their creativity to create impeccable garments. In order for those creations to be noticed in the fashion industry and the general public, fashion publicists must advertise and inform who the designer is through press releases, events, runway shows, and public appearances.
In today’s media, new technology has completely changed the way publicists would advertise their client. For designers and fashion houses what use to be press releases and worldwide commercials is now Facebook posts and Youtube videos. The recession has left the multi-million dollar fashion industry begging for new ways to reach the general public. To most people in fashion pr, the cheaper and more affective way of advertisement and marketing is what will kick start fashion careers in the future.
I started to gain insight to fashion pr after reading various articles in not only W and Vogue but in Time and the New York Times as well. Another medium that allowed me to witness the world of fashion pr was a short-lived reality series on Bravo titled Kell On Earth that aired the behind the scenes of a thriving fashion pr company known as People’s Revolution, spearheaded by the eccentric Kelly Cutrone. At first glance, Kelly looks like an absolute rebel to society dressed head to toe in black, pale as a ghost with disheveled hair and a severe middle part. Yet maybe that is why she fits in so well with fashion society, she is not afraid of artistic expression nor what other people think. The show depicted how to publicize a designer with press releases and online review and advertisement as well as planning their runway shows or fashion presentations to perfection. The show made fashion enthusiasts like myself who really do not see designing apparel in my future, realize that this is something that is thrilling yet allows for creative expression in print and publication as well.
Kelly Cutrone (above) is a valid example of fashion publicists. Below is an image of her book cover, I have actually read this book and I don't know how to put this into better words but this is a swift kick in the butt, sets you right on track not just in pursuing fashion but in life!
An example of a dynamic team between a fashion designer and business advisor is
Marc Jacobs & Robert Duffy. Here is a link to an article describing their work relationship in W Magazine. http://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/2007/10/marc_jacobs_robert_duffy
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