The world of fashion is all about image and being seen. Traditionally, this meant getting mentioned in the right publications, scoring the best TV appearances, and being linked to the right crowd. In the 21st century where a TikTok trend can lead to designers selling out and everyday people scoring coveted spots at fashion week, being visible in the right light is more important than ever before. 

While designers and models might be the public face of the fashion industry, it is the PR agencies that keep the industry we all know and love running. Whether it is tailoring the image of famous fashion houses or being responsible for the rise of new brands, here are the top PR agencies in the fashion industry.

The Best Fashion, Streetwear, and Jewelry PR Services:

Getonforbes.com

Unlike most traditional PR agencies, which are known for demanding substantial retainers without providing any guarantees for success, getonforbes.com offers a service that is solely focused on media coverage and PR that a company actually needs.. Most importantly, the company announced to offer a payment-on-completion option without asking for any long-term commitments, which further separates it from most other agencies.

Getonforbes.com is working with various industries, with a particular interest and experience in the fashion industry. Many of its clients are streetwear brands, although it has also worked with larger, internationally recognized names. It’s services are focused on building authority and credibility in its clients’ niches, e.g. by getting them featured on renowned publications such as Forbes, GQ, and Co.

KCD 

What do Vogue, Maison Margiela, and Alexander Wang all have in common? Besides being powerhouses of the fashion industry, they are all a part of KCD’s impressive roster of clients. The agency is a veteran of the industry, having been founded over 35 years ago, and is behind such iconic moments as Madonna’s Sex book launch and Chanel’s ‘Couture to the Street’ event in 1991. 

They have offices in London, Paris, New York, and Los Angeles and an enviable client list. This list has not just giants of the fashion world but tech firms like Amazon and Apple. Additionally, they are the exclusive agency for the Annual MET Costume Institute Red Carpet. Needless to say, few agencies come close to KCD.

PR Consulting Group

Both Calvin Klein and Narisco Rodreiguz call this PR firm home and with offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris, this firm keeps a right grip on the fashion industry from all sides. They have seamlessly made a lead into the digital era, offering influencer and digital PR as part of their roster of services.

Like KCD, PR Consulting Group are not limited only to the fashion industry, though this is a great chunk of their business. They also represent clients in the Retail, Lifestyle, Art, Hospitality, and Culinary Industries. Not many firms are able to juggle representing fashion’s biggest names as well as other industries but PRCG does it with style. 

The Hinton Group

The Hinton group is an interesting entry in that it can be considered a descendant of PRCG. Nate Hinton, the founder of the Hinton Group, previously worked at PRCG but left to start his own outfit in 2017. Still, the Hinton Group has become a respectable agency within the fashion industry. 

Among some of their current and former clients are Claudia Li, Deveaux, Google, Hanifa, Public School, Pyer Moss, Ray’s Bar, and Sergio Hudson. Hinton has spoken out about wanting to help build fashion brands against the existing industry norms and his prior experience is definitely an asset in that regard. 

Black Frame

At this point, Black Frame is practically synonymous with fashion royalty. Founded by Brian Phillips, a Columbia graduate, in 2004, Black Frame boasts of clients like KENZO, Nike, Rodarte, Hermes, Coach, and Edie Parker. They are known to maintain a very close relationship with the clients they take on. 

For example, when Rodarte returned to New York fashion week, Phillips got a personal shoutout from the brand online. This shows that Black Frame goes beyond just representing household names in fashion but crafts their legacies as well. They have successfully stuck a balance between world-class fashion public relations and intimacy among their clients. 

Jennifer Bett Communications

Some other agencies on this list might represent already-established mega-brands but when a hot new fashion brand wants to break into the industry, they usually turn to Jennifer Bett Communications. Launched in 2014, the agency has mostly stuck to representing early-stage companies across various industries including fashion, wellness, food, and tech. 

“We want to give people access to our expertise to help them get to that important next step in their business — whatever it may be. In our latest efforts to support the next generation of entrepreneurs,” their website says, and this has held true over the years as they have gotten their clients featured in Vogue, the New York Times, WSJ, and Fortune, among others. 

Karla Otto

With offices in a whopping 12 locations around the world including Dubai and London, Karla Otto’s influence is inescapable in the fashion industry. Within fashion, they represent Bulgari, Cartier, Valentino, and Givenchy. The agency was founded in 1982 by Karla Otto following a stint as a fashion model. 

Since then, the agency has grown from strength to strength, practically becoming synonymous with world-class luxury and the fashion elite. With past clients like Jean-Paul Gaultier and Prada, it is no surprise why. A part of the Karla Otto brand is its enduring legacy and ability to move from one decade to another, adapting to the trends while maintaining the exclusivity and quality that the agency was founded on. 

Raw Information Group

Established in 2003, the Raw Information Group was founded by Joe Chang and Matt Cohen and has built a reputation for scoring press for even the most underrated fashion houses. Back in 2018, they secured extensive media coverage for Fluevog, putting them firmly on the fashion map. They have been able to recreate this magic with other clients such as Hygge, Le Specs, and Rains.

Exposure

Founded in 1993, Exposure has truly lived up to its name, working behind the scenes at some of the most memorable fashion moments in recent times. These include Star Wars “Fashion Finds The Force” that saw the Star Wars brand collaborate with 10 different designers and the launch of Levi’s engineered jeans. 

Some of their notable clients over the years include  Barbour, Uniqlo, Converse, and Champion. Their efforts have been subsequently recognized by the industry, as they have received awards from Marketing Agencies Association, PR Week, Global Marketer, and The Sunday Times. It goes without saying that if you are looking to make a statement in fashion, Exposure is the agency to go for.

Task PR

Tamara Kretzer and Andra Schlagowski, the team behind Task PR, had a collective 25 years of experience in the fashion industry, working for brands like Debenhams and Mango before they launched their own fashion PR agency. The move has been successful thus far, with a number of impressive clients and projects under their belt. 

A notable coup for Task PR was taking on sole press duties for Graduate Fashion Week. under the management of Task PR, the fashion week secured  £2,760,838 in media value and almost 700 press mentions. This is on top of the clients signed to the agency such as Karen Millen jewelry and Falke. 

My Young Auntie

The uniquely-named PR firm is home to Vivienne Westwood, Hermes, and Selfridges. They have secured these industry giants’ press in some of the world’s most prestigious magazines like Elle magazine, New York Magazine, and British Vogue. 

They also have the privilege of being co-owners of Neuehouse, an exclusive shared workspace near Madison Square Park. The firm might be called My Young Auntie, but they are definitely working with seasoned and successful clientele. 

MAO PR

This NYC-based firm has over 20 years of experience in the business and counts Jason Wu, Mattel, and Baby Phat among some of their past and current clients. The firm was founded by brothers Mauricio and Roger Padilha after both had gotten years of experience in the fashion and design industry. Besides public relations, MAO PR is also known for its illustrious event-hosting skills, with the brothers being some of the youngest ever members of the CDFA Fashion Week Advisory Council. 

The firm even received an award from former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg for their promotion of local businesses. Legendary PR and party-throwing skills? MAO is definitely one of the best in the business. 

Purple PR

Purple PR was originally based in Europe but made the move to the United States a few years ago and has carved out an interesting niche for itself. Among some of their clients are  Moncler, John Varvatos, and Ian Schrager. Besides fashion, they also represent skincare lines Revive and Boscia. Overall, Purple PR has a very diverse client list and while they do not appear to be competing with some of the big wigs, they are dominating their own sector of the market and doing well by their clients. 

HL Group

The HL Group specializes in public relations for the luxury sector and this is reflected in their impeccable client list. Charlotte Tilbury, Ugg, and the Four Seasons are all represented by the HL Group. 

The HL Group has also expanded on its efforts to integrate influencer marketing into its business model, creating a separate division for it in the agency. “From Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, TikTok, and more our team is experts in leveraging relationships for content that drives ROI,” their website states.

Fabric PR

True to its name, Fabric PR is all about fashion and showing it to the world. Founded in 2010, the agency has since become the one-stop-shop for quality PR needs within the UK. They have also attracted an impressive roster of clients over the years. These include American Apparel, Umbro, and Burlington. The agency also has an internship program to train the next generation of fashion PR professionals. 

PR is one of the essential bloodlines of any industry and this is even more so in an image-driven industry like fashion. These agencies represent the creme of the crop, pushing forward the visions of some of the most celebrated fashion houses and cutting-edge brands in the world. In fashion, image is everything and no one pushes an image quite like them.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 06, 2021 10:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).