California Apparel News

Many people believe good public relations for up-and-coming fashion designers entails nothing more than getting the right celebrities to wear designers’ clothes. However, veteran fashion public relations professional Pam Roberts of Los Angeles–based Pitch! Press, said it is much more complicated.

Good public relations means getting new fashions in the editorial pages of popular magazines, ensuring magazine editors give due credit to designers, and then seeing retail sales climb from a magazine article’s buzz.

Roberts emphasized this message during the seminar “Pitch!—Selling Yourself and Getting PR” on June 22 at the Fashion Business Incorporated in Los Angeles. More than 23 designers and manufacturers got the scoop on how to focus their public relations strategy and avoid pitfalls.

Before embarking on a public relations campaign, designers should define the consumer they want to reach, Roberts said. Since magazines drive retail interest in fashion, according to Roberts, designers should research the publications they think potential consumers read. It’s one of the keys to finding the best way to reach your audience.

She also emphasized contracting a public relations professional to manage the campaign.

“Everybody wants to do their own P.R., correct?” Roberts asked at the seminar. “It’s impossible because a piece of the pie is missing. It’s the relationship with the magazines and the magazine editors.”

Fashion magazine editors get bombarded with press releases that report on thousands of new collections. Public relations professionals build relationships with editors to ensure magazines will at least consider writing about new fashions.

Public relations executives also funnel crucial communication from editors to designers.

Editors operate on short deadlines, and if their questions—such as those about prices and where clothing is sold—are unanswered, designers might miss out on important coverage.

Roberts’ clients, Alicia Estrada, president and designer of Los Angeles–based Stop Staring!, and Amy Di La Marra, co-owner and designer of West Hollywood, Calif.–based Kudra, spoke about their experiences with public relations.

“You need public relations to make these sales,” Estrada said. “Stores find me through her placements.” —Andrew Asch