PR

Back then a lot pf people never knew what my job role was, and even to this day people are confused about what I do.

When I met people and told them I was a Fashion PR they simply said ‘Oooooooo, thats so cool’ Yet they had no idea what PR was. PR is bloody golden. It’s what brands use or always used to use when they wanted to get their business out there and known by consumers, buyers and everyone in between. Now days A LOT of it is done by Social Media.

The Good, the Bad and the Outright Ugly.

I am a fan of social media. I love social media and I understand 100% why social media does wonders for all businesses. You can get your name out there, tell everyone exactly what you sell and what you products are like, you can design beautiful pictures and now as frequently as you want – all down to Instagram Stories. You can even sell products by tagging them and adding a price on Instagram. The best part, it is all done by you and FREE.

But nothing has an effect or an advantage as much as PR.

Maybe it is because I started in PR when social media wasn’t really around. Yes to think that Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest etc have only really been around for 7 years – we PRs had to call people, see where they were, what fashion pages they were working on, what products they were looking for, befriend them, be nice to them (which was the part I loved as I love talking) – and help them with all the brands we looked after.

I absolutely loved it. Seeing what people’s thoughts were behind their amazing main fashion pages, why they wanted that style of shoe, the colours they envisioned coming to life, the props they used. I was fascinated and soon learnt their style, the items of clothing they would want, if they wanted jewellery and even how they wanted all the clothes to be sent to them.

It was remarkable to learn and understand it – and it was nothing like posting an image and seeing how many people likes it gets.

Some of my finest work has been when I have spoken to a publication for up to 4 weeks making sure they received everything they needed, if the material was correct, the colour, the style. We went backwards and forwards so many times making sure the Fashion Director was happy with the item. In the end she loved it. The work I am talking about is the below…

It was a Sydney Evan necklace that was worn by Kate Moss. This issue of Vogue was a decade of all her best looks. Denim, boho, elegance. This was the image the featured on the cover, with my client’s necklace on full show. A very proud moment. No Pinterest board or Story did that. That was pure PR sweat and tears.

Like I said, I love Social Media and some of my work has all been down to this amazing platform. However…no app ever brought me as much joy as when I look at the below pieces of work…I thought I would show you some of my favourite pieces of work that I have achieved over the years, with some history and funny stories about them…

I sent out a mailer – just a few Christmas’ ago (A very pretty document, short and sweet with product details, prices and some information about my brand) – within 5 minutes this bag plus 2 more items were featured by the same brand. So simple yet effective. Goes to show if your client has IT you are in fact winning. I sent the image off in a shot, as they were on deadline.

Got great results from it!
After chasing this Fashion Editor for her accessory page – which I knew every year when she was starting it and putting it all together I emailed her various times with all my clients look books, best sellers and new ins – which I knew she would love. This well known supplement (which I still absolutely love) picked one of my new clients and gave them the opening pages front cover. This necklace was called in and given a lot of LOVE. When the shoe fit, wear it.
Within a month of working with this online brand I got then in this amazing newspaper. Always worrying – which I learnt fast in the fashion PR industry, that when a well known educated paper asked for a specific image. They aim to destroy the brand. Nope after checking with the writer and making sure all would be nice and positive (and getting it all in writing) – this was all very neutral and my client was super pleased. As was I. This brand will never get publicity like this again.
Breasr Cancer Awareness Month did wonders with this fabulous brand I was looking after. I suggested they donate money sold from a pink shoe to the charity. They said yes, I picked the shoe, 30 mins later it was online. Hey presto lots of coverage….
Working with this brand was amazing. It was a difficult one. A tshirt that was so expensive with a funny saying on it. And it only came in 2 colours – black and white. As it was worn by Kate Moss, Sadie Frost, Cara Delevigne and more we knew we had to push it. My dream came true when the lovely girls at We Are Twinset answered my emailed and accepted a gift. Being seen on their blog is a highlight and a half for me.
When this glossy’s Fashion Director called in this ring. My heart skipped a beat. One of my favourite ladies in the industry wanted my client and I could not wait to send my piece in. Main fashion feature. I was ecstatic. Jewellery is soooo hard to feature in main fashion as, most of the time, you cannot see it. This ring could definitely be seen.
She was a new client of mine. This was her coverage in her second month in.
My most favourite magazines are wedding mags. They are so creative. With fashion – a lot of the same things are repeated trends, product pages. swimwear. Nothing is more creative than showcasing all the different ways, outfits and styles that you can get married. Trust me. This magazine, I knew, lovedbig bold hair pieces for their main fashion pages. I sent lots in and this bad boy was used and my accessory client was over the moon.

I helped many brands secure amazing coverage – too many to show you all. If you are keen to see more please have a look at the Coverage section of my website. PR is an amazing tool – with all new media and technology they really do add the cherry on top – however, must always remember who made the cake in the first place.

Hope you enjoyed this post!?

Love always

Assuntina X

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