Although consistently ranking among the top three graduate choices of employment, a career in fashion PR is not ideal for all. This intensely demanding role requires impressive communication skills, a creative flair, bubbly personality, and, of course, a passion for fashion. If you posses all of those traits, then read on...

Public Relations (PR) is regarded as one of the most important promotional tools within the UK fashion & modelling industry. When used efficiently, it is a far cheaper alternative to the cost of advertising, and can be far more effective in terms of driving sales and brand image. Essentially, PR is about building relations with the media in order to enhance the image of a particular brand, person/group or cause.

Different sources of PR are in-house and agency. In the former, the company is responsible for its own PR, whereas the latter is an external source controlling the PR for a range of companies.

Skills and Attributes
When considering a career in fashion PR, ask yourself the following questions:
•    Does my passion for fashion extend beyond what I’m planning to wear this Friday?
•    Am I willing to work for free?
•    Will I be willing to put in long hours, at the consequence of my social life, and with no immediate financial reward?
•    Can I handle being bottom of the food chain?
•    Am I willing to work my way up?
•    Am I willing to undergo further education in the pursuit of my ideal career?
•    Am I aware of the latest trends?
•    Do I religiously read the latest magazines?
•    Do I have an awareness of different branches of the media? 
•    Do I have an interest in working within a sociable environment?
•    Do I possess concise writing skills?
•    Can I multi-task?
•    Can I communicate effectively?

If the answer to any of the above is ‘NO,’ a career in fashion PR is possibly not the route for you.

What does fashion PR entail?
In essence, PR for fashion involves promoting a brand, person/group or cause through various mediums within the media. PR agencies look after numerous clients and are responsible for gaining each client the exposure that they require. This is achieved primarily through media contacts. Whether it is pampering fashion journalists and magazine editors with expensive lunches or sending out bouquets of flowers and bottles of champagne, PR agents are on a constant mission to build their little black books as these contacts are their key resources.
Daily life for a fashion PR often involves sending out samples to various magazines and stylists – it is common practice to often provide clothes for shoots for up to 40 stories a day; which can increase before busy holiday periods. 

PRs often liaise with stylists who will inform them about the briefs for shoots, and then the PR can send out the appropriate items. A pair of shoes photographed within a magazine shoot will not always be there because the stylist has actively gone out and chosen them - instead they symbolize the existence of a special relationship between a PR and a stylist/ publication for whom the shoot is for.  This pair of shoes will then be seen by thousands of people who read that magazine, and this exposure will not have cost a penny to achieve (well, not counting the various lunches, numerous bottles of champagne and fabulous freebies, darling.)

In addition to stylists and publications, PRs often provide clothes for celebrities. This can range from casual wear to glamorous events, such as high profile parties and awards ceremonies. Getting a celebrity to wear your brand provides a priceless tool to drive sales purely because of the exposure that celebrities attract. However, it is important to get the brand on the back of the right celebrities.

As a PR you will be in regular contact with the clients for which you are promoting - although this will depend on your level of experience and role within the company. The client will often specify what their market is, along with what kind of exposure they require and how they want to be promoted – remember, in PR image is everything.

Fashion PRs will at certain times of year be involved in the organisation of catwalk shows. It is the role of the PR to ensure that the right press and buyers are attending, as both will increase the exposure of your client, either through the media or by agreeing to sell the products to consumers.

Advantages of being in the modelling industry
While a career in fashion PR is a highly popular choice among graduates, there are many benefits of entering this field coming from background in the fashion & modelling industry.
From a networking perspective, if, for example, you have previously been a model then you can benefit from already having contacts within the industry. As discussed above, a healthy little black book in fashion PR is a gold mine; the more contacts you may have means the greater likelihood of securing sufficient exposure for your clients. Therefore someone with an already established range of contacts will posses an advantage.

Additionally, the experience of working within the fashion & modelling industry typically means you are confident, self-motivation and reliable, which are all must-have characteristics for PR.
Also a knowledge of trends and designers is also an advantage when coming from within the modelling industry, as is strong communicative skills and an inside knowledge of how the industry works. All of this plays a vital role in the transition towards becoming a fashion PR.

Qualifications
A degree in fashion is not necessarily essential for a career in fashion PR. However, recent research shows that PR is becoming a graduate entry career, thus a degree of some sort can be a serious advantage.

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is Europe’s largest governing body of public relations. The institute recommends that a professional qualification be undertaken to improve chances of becoming a successful PR. CIPR recognised undergraduate and postgraduate courses are available at various institutes around the UK.

If you already have a degree, the CIPR Advanced Certificate in Public Relations is ideal. This is also available to candidates without a degree but have at least 2 years relevant full time experience in addition to five GCSEs, grades C or above.

For experienced professionals or those without an industry specific qualification, the Post-Graduate Diploma of Public Relations is recommended.

Finally, the Foundation Award in Public Relations is a new course from the CIPR. To be launched in June 2008, this introductory course is A-level standard, aimed at school leavers and those already in employment, but wishing to enter the field of PR.

For more information, please visit; www.cipr.co.uk

Do not be put off by the cost of such qualifications. Both undergraduate and graduate loans are available with competitive rates. A recent study found that 77% of Public Relations graduates found relevant work within 6 months of finishing education, demonstrating the effectiveness of undertaking such qualifications.

Work Experience
It is also recommended that you combine an educational background with relevant work experience to improve chances of getting your foot in the door. A good CV is crucial to entering the competitive field of PR.

NOTE: Although retail experience is valuable, simply manning a till in Topshop will not suffice as “relevant work experience.”

The majority of work placements are unpaid - you should be prepared that this is the norm. Unpaid placements should be no longer than 4 weeks (although that can be flexible depending on the circumstance) and travel expenses should be covered. If you’re exceptionally lucky, you may even get lunch. Placements usually involve mundane tasks such as;

• sending out press releases,
• booking in new samples when they arrive from clients,
• sending samples out to press and ensuring that they are returned,
• answering the telephone,
• potentially hands on experience in writing press releases,
• finally, confirming the cliché, getting coffee!

To obtain work experience be prepared to be pro-active in your approach. More often than not, you will be sending your polished CV and job-specific covering letter to Managing Directors of PR agencies. They will pass your details onto another member of staff. Do not become disillusioned if you do not hear back from every agency - large PR companies in London get as many as 15 applications per day requesting work experience. Be careful to ensure that your CV stands out from the crowd. Do not forget to specify the dates that you are able to work - failure to do so may reduce your chances as it creates more work for the poor individual responsible for recruitment.

To browse PR agencies, please visit;

www.contemporaryfashion.net
www.actimedia.com– this site also gives worldwide rankings of PR houses in addition to a list of contact details.

To browse current work experience opportunities visit;

www.arts.ac.uk/student/careers - this site is updated regularly

Career Path and Salary
A typical career path in PR may look something like this;

• Junior Account Executive
• Account Executive
• Senior Account Executive OR Account Manager
• Associate OR Account Director

Salaries may range from anything between £18,000 as a junior account / account executive to £80,000 as an account director. This will entirely depend on who you work for, whether it is in-house or an agency and how ambitious you are.

**Remember, a career in fashion PR extends beyond the popularly perceived facade of glitz and glamour. True, you may get the odd free handbag or bottle of conditioner, but financial rewards are not immediate. Highly developed communication skills, a love for fashion and a determined personality are all quintessential characteristics necessary to begin a career in fashion PR.**