Discover the most relevant industry news and insights for fashion PR and communications professionals. Updated monthly, you can increase your market awareness and emulate market leaders to outperform job interviews, promotion conversations, and improve your performance at work.
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Important articles and must-know insights for PR and communications professionals:
1. A huge opportunity for independent fragrance brand athletes
Australian Football League star Isaac Quaynor isn’t just proud of his tenacity and grit on the field. “My favorite thing for anyone to say is, ‘You smell good,’” said Collingwood, 24, a Magpies defender. Past and present NBA stars such as Devin Booker and Victor Oladipo have spoken of their love for cult labels Le Labo and Creed, and Liverpool FC fullback Trent Alexander-Arnold has been a fan of Byredo. GQ reports that he is a fan of Zherzhov.
But while major fragrance brands have been using Sportster for years, smaller brands have remained reluctant due to cost and a desire to maintain a more upscale image. Athletes have yet to become beauty tastemakers, says Sable Yong, a writer and co-host of the fragrance podcast Smell Ya Later. This perception may soon change. Increasingly, sports celebrities are showing off their knowledge of cult streetwear and obscure designer brands, showing off their aficionados in fields like fashion.
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Cecilie Bahnsen, PR & Communications Lead — Copenhagen, Denmark
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2. How to choose a PR company
With so many ways to increase brand awareness, we are increasingly expecting PR partners to have multi-disciplinary expertise. When hiring a new PR agency, whether it’s your first time or you’re looking for a different approach, brands should understand how the company fits into their ecosystem and what key areas they need support. You should consider your past success with .
“The name publicist may become obsolete one day, because it’s not what we do anymore,” says Savannah Engel, founder of Savi, a PR firm that works with clients such as Pat Bo and Ciao Lucia. “It’s not just communication. It’s presentation, it’s preservation, it’s creativity. There’s a lot more involved in building these brands now.”
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Event Producer, On — Berlin, Germany
Ralph Lauren, Employee Communications Manager — New York, United States
Tiffany Global PR Director — New York, United States
3. Why Chanel chose Mathieu Blazy
Matthew Blasey joins Chanel as artistic director of fashion collections after three years at Bottega Veneta, part of Kering. Chanel fashion president Bruno Pavlovsky told BoF in an interview ahead of the announcement that Blazy’s vision for fashion is not one of “changing just for the sake of changing.” “There’s a real depth to what Mathieu does, from the shows to the products and the way he talks about them.”
Pavlovsky said the fashion industry’s second-largest brand, with nearly $20 billion in annual revenue, doesn’t need a revolution. But Chanel is still positioning the hire as a historic and transformative move for the company. “We didn’t choose Mathieu just to ‘do Chanel,’ we chose him to help push the boundaries of Chanel into the future,” Pavlovsky said. “He will bring his modernity, his way of working. Chanel is ready to transform itself.” Blazey will be running until April 2025, ahead of her debut collection scheduled for September next year. He plans to join Chanel in 2018.
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4. Lucien Pagès joins the independence faction.
The agency founded by Parisian PR star Lucien Pages is to be acquired by the fashion communications giant that owns Carla Otto, Bureau Betak and more (…) meaning Independents. . The company raised $400 million from Towerbrook Capital Partners and Florida Entertainment last year to fuel growth and fund further acquisitions. We have even more control over the PR and production teams that shape the way the world views fashion.
But the most exciting thing about The Independents (…) is its potential to help develop young designers. When I (Tim Blanks) first met Pagès in 2010, he was representing a designer, young American Adam Kimmel. (His client list now includes more than 100 names.) “I think Carla has helped young designers a lot and created a new way of PR. Alex de Betak has supported Jacquemus from the beginning. That was when Anthony Vaccarello didn’t have any money. Yeah, maybe there’s more on my roster, maybe I’ll bring in more new names.”
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Reference Studios, Communications Manager — Paris, France
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5. The logic behind the Charli XCX campaign
Nearly five months into the height of summer for “Brat,” Charli XCX’s sales power has barely waned. The singer recently starred in Converse’s holiday campaign, was the face of Valentino Beauty and Acne Studio, starred in an H&M campaign and concert, and appeared in a Shop with Google holiday ad with co-star Troye Sivan. . Brands don’t seem to understand her enough. (…) Social media content featuring stars received nearly 820 million impressions in August, according to creator marketing platform CreatorIQ.
But unlike the usual summer trends that disappear as soon as the weather changes, Charli XCX and “Brat” have survived beyond the season. Experts say she has successfully tapped into a deeper cultural vein and generated fierce loyalty among her fans, cementing that her recent appeal is more than a passing fad. states that it did. (According to CreatorIQ, she still had more than 620 million impressions in October.) The album and its updated version, “Brat and It’s Completely Different but Another Still”, released on October 11, Brat” arrived at just the right time to align with a wider audience. A cultural shift that cultural anthropologist Grant McCracken calls “health fatigue.”
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Citizens of Humanity, Men’s PR Director — Los Angeles, USA
6. Case Study | How to do fashion collaboration correctly
The collaboration landscape is also more diverse today than when Lagerfeld and H&M teamed up in 2004. Brands may still collaborate for limited-edition, one-off releases, as in the example of H&M and Lagerfeld, but the number of long-term brands is increasing. Regular collaborations between major retailers and coveted design talent. For example, Uniqlo has been collaborating with Parisian designer Christophe Lemaire on the Uniqlo:U collection since 2016.
Although these different approaches may have different goals and benefits, many of the factors that lead to success are the same. Nick Woodhouse, president and chief brand officer of Authentic Brands Group, says the most impactful collaborations are ones where the union of two brands is one where the union is “obvious or not at all” at a level of tension or cohesion. He said that it shows. They’re also seeing brands expand on their storytelling and design to offer products that feel truly new, even if they’re just another version of a company’s classic products. And ultimately, the gold standard for great collaboration is one that consumers believe is authentic.
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7. BoF Podcast | How Skims and On create cultural relevance
Many fashion brands have recognized that operating across multiple cultural sectors is a business necessity. Fashion competes with music, movies, and sports for attention on our social feeds. Learning how to tap into other cultural fields is something many fashion brands are trying to do, but few do it as well as this week’s guest.
At BoF VOICES 2024, BoF founder and CEO Imran Amed will be joined by Jens Grede, co-founder and CEO of shapewear brand Kim Kardashian’s Skims, and Swiss sports We spoke with David Alleman, co-founder and executive co-chairman of clothing company On, and learned: How they have tapped into the cultural zeitgeist, especially with the increasing intersection of sports and fashion.
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Emilia Wickstead, Luxury Client Relationship Partner — London, UK
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Customer Engagement Specialist, Gucci — Mumbai, India
8. Ralph Lauren: Selling dreams at all costs
Many brands talk about world-building, but few are as committed to the concept as Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren recently recreated the Polo Bar restaurant at its Hamptons mansion for wine and dine guests attending its latest fashion show. This is one of the flashiest parts of Ralph’s World, an overarching concept that has become a cornerstone of the brand’s image-enhancing strategy, offering continued sales and high-margin products such as outerwear and handbags. This allowed us to expand into categories. Lots of polo shirts. Our goal is for any customer to feel like they’re getting value for their investment when they come into Ralph’s world.
Consumers seem to agree. Ralph Lauren stores are crowded even though the average price of items sold in the store has increased more than 70 percent since 2018. Investors did the same, and the company’s stock price hit an all-time high in October 2024. The elevated project now faces its biggest challenge yet, as shoppers around the world grow weary of soaring prices and China’s economic downturn clouds the outlook for a once-promising market. Through turbulent times, Ralph Lauren has stepped up its storytelling and focused on the core products that have given the brand longevity.
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Marketing and Communications Manager, Safiyaa — London, UK
Maison Margiela, Press Assistant Intern — Paris, France
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