The Hustle of Fashion Public Relations

By Chris Pires

Stonehill College News Blog Journalist

Jamie Warner is a New York public relations animal by day and an aspiring influencer by night.

Warner puts in hours of work every day, five days a week working in the fashion world at the Wetherly fashion firm, and coaches Instagram influencers in her off time.

She said her motto is, “stay on the grind until you make it big”.

Warner graduated from Roger Williams University in 2015 in Bristol Rhode Island with a bachelor’s degree in communications.

One of the busiest times of the year for Warner is around September and February. These are fashion months which is when New York’s highest fashion brands display their fall and spring collections in Bryant park and all over New York City.

Many hours of planning and overtime go into the promo and organization of these upscale fashion events with many fashion critics, celebrities, stylists, and magazine editors coming out for the shows.

Warner and her coworkers are in charge of making sure operations run smoothly, getting the word out about the shows, and squashing any scandal in relation to the show.

Some of the brands that the Wetherly firm represents are Rebecca Minkoff, Kenneth Cole, The Kooples, Joe’s Jeans, J Brand, and jewelry brand Bauble Bar.

Some of the perks of working in this industry is that Warner gets an all access pass to the shows she works at for free. Warner does not only get perks for fashion shows, she also gets free clothes, shoes, and accessories from the brands she represents.

She also gets to go to exciting events like the Andy Cohen Show through connections she has in the PR industry and gets to bring her friends along for the ride.

Public relations in fashion is an ever-growing field especially in recent years due to a politically sensitive world. Several brands and designers have come under fire recently such as Gucci, and Prada dealing for blackface scandals with their designs, Dolce & Gabbana co- creative director Stefano Gabbana being attacked for homophobic and body shaming tweets, and Burberry being accused of promoting suicide due to a noose like sweatshirt string. 

Warner says,  “The world is becoming more easily offended and culturally aware and the need for PR firms to spin a story or recover a brand from a scandal is vital for a brands relevance and ability to survive in the current time”.

Warner describes herself as a “hustler” and is always trying to “step her game and make it to that next level in the business,” she said.

Warner’s ultimate career goal is to be the head of a fashion PR firm, not necessarily her own firm but any successful one.

Warner encourages public relations students, and aspiring hustlers to enter the world of fashion.

 “It’s hard work, and sometimes you’re going to run low on sleep and be angry with dramatic or bossy clients, but you have to push through and remind yourself you don’t become a CEO overnight and that hard work will pay off,” she said.

When Warner is off the clock at the Wetherly group her work doesn’t stop there. To make a little extra cash on the side she took on a few minor Instagram influencers to try and build up their brands and be social media stars as well as trying to build up her own social media brand.

She enjoys the influencer work more than her day job because it is “more like a hobby than a job” and she gets to be her own boss.

Warner meets with her clients and helps them plan out outfits, trips, and post for their platform and helps them mold their online aesthetic to narrow down and reach their target audience. The fashion world is always turning out something new and interesting for Warner to experience.

“The fashion world is always changing, and something new will always come along, and I haven’t hit my goal yet, so I guess I’ll be sticking around for a while,” she said.