New York Fashion Week AW 2019 Day One: the PR Experience
Getting my feet wet into the world of fashion communications
I had the opportunity to travel to NYC to assist REP PR Agency with helping designers Wan Hung and Dirty Pineapple with their NYFW AW 2019 debuts. I can’t put into the words how I ecstatic I was when REP PR called me back to come to their office. My interest in fashion communications started in high school, and I even took a non-major communications class at my university to increase my knowledge in this field. However, I knew that experiences at NYFW would teach me more about the fashion and editorial industries more than any classroom lessons could. I had my eyes set on NYFW for months, and my dream to contribute to, not only watch, NYFW, would finally turn into a reality. Little did I know that later in the week I would additionally interact with the designers themselves and help Vogue menswear editor Michael Philouze.
REP PR helps both American and international designers secure editorial spreads and transfer merchandise. During the first day, the REP team and I rearranged show room pieces by designer and season. Later in the day, stylists would come in and pick up pieces for their clients.
REP’s showroom displayed menswear ready-to-wear collections and accessories like hats and boots. The majority of the pieces came in kooky colors and quirky prints. I learned a lot not only about PR responsibilities but also working with menswear. AW 2019 trends include trench coats and looser silhouettes.
If people underestimate anything about PR companies, it’s how many emails people receive in a day! I should have been surprised, but I was baffled by the 500 plus emails I saw in REP’s inbox. Later in the day, I also worked with a program called Launchmetrics to compile inventories for designers and stylists. It’s crucial that inventories are composed without error, as they track who has and where each piece of merchandise lies.
A day in fashion PR taught me that this field within the industry is middle ground between designers and their clients – photographers, editors, stylists, and production mangers. PR makes the process happen. Without PR, someone is bound to lose merchandise or miss out on advertising opportunities.
I may or may not pursue a path in PR, but after helping REP, I gained life skills and new insights that will help me as I progress in my professional journey.
With style,
Sarah
