Abstract

The relationship between fashion journalists and PRs is one of the most important in the industry, and this chapter looks at how the two interact. Journalists go through PRs for news (new launches, collaborations), for research, for interviews (to gain access to designers and brand ambassadors), and for calling in products for shoots. PRs need journalists for coverage of their brands and to engage audiences without giving them the hard sell. Both sides describe how they build and nurture these contacts and maintain trust between them. It also explores accusations that fashion journalists have too close a relationship to PRs, to the detriment of their content. The balance of power between the two is undoubtedly shifting as audiences move on to social media, and this chapter also discusses how PRs work with influencers on behalf of brands, and how they see them in relation to the press