Photo by Diane Lieu – BFA Photography.
One of the most exciting new classes in the School of Fashion is Gabriel Gima’s FSH 305 – Fashion Public Relations. Students in the class, now in it’s third semester, pair with top design students to help publicize their work as they embark on their careers. This semester, fashion PR students will be promoting BFA Fashion Design students working on their senior collections. They just had their first meeting, during which the designers presented their progress thus far – including inspiration, sketches, swatches, and finished garments. Fashion School Daily chatted with the budding publicists about their very first client meeting and their next steps!
What have you learned in the Fashion Public Relations class so far?
We have learned that you need to be able to call upon your classmates for help. It is important to form some kind of relationship with them so you are able to use their strengths in areas where you might not be as strong. Yes, sometimes you feel you want to prove yourself by doing things independently but asking for others’ help and opinions is never a bad thing. Team work is key!
What do you enjoy most about the class?
We enjoy the real life aspects of this class. We’re acting like a real PR agency which gives us all a preview of what our lives could be as real life publicists. Being assigned a designer and being their publicist is a lot of pressure, but being in school we have a net to fall on and instructors there to help when we need it.
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How did you prepare to meet with the designers for the first time?
Before we met with our designers, we listed tons of questions that were deemed appropriate and helpful in getting to know the designer. There were a number of designers and we had limited time so it was almost like speed dating when we met with them. We had to get the best information in the shortest amount of time.
What information were you looking to find out about each of the designers?
We were looking to find out information about how they worked through the design process and what made their point of view as a designer so unique amongst the others. We also took notice of their characteristics and the way they spoke, it really showed how passionate they are about fashion which was what we were looking for in a designer. We were looking for designers who have that same drive and passion that we do!
Now that you have your clients, what are the next steps?
Now that we are matched with our designers, the next step is to get to know them on a deep and personal level. We want to learn their back story and how this has come to affect them as a person and as a designer. We want to learn their strengths and weaknesses, and how we as their publicists can guide them along as they showcase their work and discuss their designs.
Good luck!
Photos by Diane Lieu – BFA Photography.
