By Faith Senam Ocloo (Ghana)
Fashion PR Specialist, e’april Public Relations
The world’s attention has shifted to Africa in recent years. There is no doubt that the African fashion industry has grown immensely as a result, creating opportunities for the growth and development of other sectors within the industry.
As African fashion on the continent expands, there’s a need for other sectors within the fashion industry to equally develop to support the functions of building global sustainable fashion brands. One such sector that has become important is the promotion and communication of fashion to key target audiences, which is the primary role of Public Relations (PR) professionals.
Public Relations in Fashion
The main objective of working in PR is to promote fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands. This is not limited to distributing press releases when launching a new product or collection but being responsible for the brand’s image, its communications, events and establishing relationships with the media and industry; the practitioner must also be able to interpret the designer’s vision and communicate that to its target audience and stakeholders. Some of the key stakeholders that one would constantly be working with and need to establish – business – relationships with would-be fashion editors, bloggers, celebrities, influencers, stylists, models, and producers to leverage said relationships in securing media coverage and features.
Generally, there are two options for working in fashion PR; either you work at a PR agency where you handle one or more fashion brands, or you work in-house with a particular fashion label. Whichever option you find yourself with, your task may almost be the same, but you will wear many hats, which would include working with designers ahead of fashion shows and new collection launches, developing content for social media, engaging stylists, influencers and celebrities to style your pieces, pitching to media for interviews and features, and much more.
PR has proven to be a valuable communication tool for fashion brands. The intersection of both Public Relations and fashion will continue to influence the fashion industry’s growth. It has played a crucial role in the success of many high-profile fashion brands throughout the years. Be it a luxury brand or fast fashion. A great PR strategy is necessary to position a brand in the minds of key target markets.
The evolution of the internet and social media channels have purposely demonstrated Public Relations’ role as crucial in communicating fashion. Having the right PR expert or agency to carefully craft your messages and position your brand in the minds of potential consumers and the target audience would be beneficial to any fashion brand.
Fashion PR in Africa
The practice of fashion PR in Africa is fairly a new area for the Public Relations industry. There are very few trained professionals with specialisation in fashion PR. The likes of Anna Touré of Anna Touré PR and Diana Opoti of Diana Opoti PR are just some of the few names that come up in discussions pertaining to fashion PR in Africa. With regards to PR agencies, there are quite a few more, but most of them are seen combining other sectors than just specialising in fashion.
As the fashion industry in Africa evolves, there is a need for fashion PR to also grow. Professionals are needed to promote and communicate fashion to the global world. Having more professionals take up specialisation in the field and offering strategic counsel to brands and fashion labels would bring great fortune to the industry.
African fashion is flourishing both locally and internationally. Colourful prints and designs created by African fashion designers have been seen on well-known Hollywood celebrities. Beyoncé, Zendaya, Gabrielle Union, Lupita Nyong’o and Naomi Campbell are just a few celebrities who have recently been spotted wearing African brands.
With more deliberate efforts, African fashion would cement its name in the international fashion industry. Professionals working with some of these creative talents would not only be publicising these designers but would also be involved in shaping the African narrative while registering significant growth for the continent.
The Next Decade
African fashion is certainly becoming one of interest to the global world. This presents a great opportunity for PR professionals to equally tap into, especially when the textile and clothing industry is disclosed to be the second-largest sector after agriculture, according to an Afdb Fashionomics Report.
This insight must be of interest to Public Relations professionals, looking at the year-on-year growth at various levels of the value chain and its huge potential of being a profitable industry and creating jobs.
It is worth noting that Africa’s contribution to global fashion in terms of design and culture is equally being recognised, hence the need for Public Relations professionals to be well-versed in shaping and controlling the narrative.
The advent of social and digital media has immensely impacted the work of Public Relations professionals, thereby creating a medium to easily communicate and influence behaviours on a global scale. This transformation of the African fashion ecosystem through technology creates several opportunities for fashion brands to use digital storytelling to market their brand and what better way to lead this than having experienced professionals at the forefront of telling these stories.
Conclusion
African fashion has become globally accepted, and the involvement of Public Relations will help shape it better. The presence of many professionals in the field of fashion PR will guarantee the fashion industry’s future growth.
Being a very fast-paced industry with quick shifts from one trend to the other, professionals need to equally understand the dynamics and ever-changing demands of the industry to better deepen our relevance as a strategic sector.