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Fashion PR News: Matchbook Announces New Division to Rep Costume Designers

June 23, 2011 2 Comments written by Crosby

Christina Hendricks as Joan Holloway; Janie Bryant. Image: NYMag

Christina Hendricks as Joan Holloway; Janie Bryant. Image: NYMag

“We see Costume Designers as the new celebrity spokesperson” – Kristi McCormick, Matchbook

After garnering 1 billion media impressions for Mad Men Costume Designer Janie Bryant, and hot on the heels of yesterday’s announcement of her latest collaboration with Banana Republic, the company behind the PR and collaborative flurry has announced a new official division exclusively for Costume Designer representation.

Established in 2009 as a consulting company on talent buying and negotiations for major industry advertisers, Matchbook advises advertisers on talent partnerships and collaborations for PR, advertising, and marketing based initiatives. and also advises established designers on how to integrate and build their brands in the competitive marketplace. Founder Kristi McCormick has over 15 years of expertise in casting, talent management, marketing and advertising and has represented and negotiated talent-based programs with retailers including Joseph Abboud, Bloomingdales, Barneys, Banana Republic, Perry Ellis, and Uniqlo.

Linda Kearns, Marketing Director for Matchbook, will act as VP of Branding and Communications for the new division. Formerly the Communications Director of INVISTA Apparel, Linda has crafted numerous creative marketing programs for LYCRA collaborating with celebrities, stylists and designers, including Jessica Simpson, Zac Posen, Philip Lim, Derek Lam, Stacy London, and Carson Kressley.

Other costume designers joining the roster at Matchbook include:

  • Randall Christensen, Costume Designer,  Dancing With The Stars
  • Soyon An, Costume Designer, So You Think You Can Dance and a stylist for American Idol
  • Sophia Banks Coloma, celebrity stylist  and Costume Designer for SYRUP,

Filed Under: News & Events, PR Couture Tagged With: Celebrity PR, Fashion PR

Front Row Fashion PR: Fashion For A Cause Event Tips

April 28, 2011 0 Comment written by Crosby

Photo: Lindsey Garvey for Cake Plate

Photo: Lindsey Garvey for Cake Plate

Front Row Fashion PR features insights from successful Fashion PR pro’s on a variety of topics relevant to the marketing professional and fashion designer.

Every day, media receive multiple invites to book showroom appointments, attend trunk shows, make an appearance at yet another purported “red carpet” event in the hopes that a gift bag and a few glasses of champagne with somehow channel their way down into some sort of coverage. Many of these events hope to stir the pot by including some cause-related component to further entice attendance and coverage. It makes sense – fashion without purpose is frivolous, and as Marie Antionette would surely agree, frivolity only gets you so far. So how to then craft a cause-related event worth of media attendance and public interest?

Francesca Pittaluga runs her own public relations company out of Los Angeles, and has years of experience putting together cause-related events for clients. Currently she is working on a fashion event to benefit her client, Project Rainbow, whose mission is to mentor and help youth affected by domestic abuse. The event, taking place today, is in partnership with boutique Taylr Joynt and is being sponsored by Paul Mitchell, Planet Salon, Painted Nail, Lululemon,  Pillow talk and other local businesses to the Ventura Blvd. strip. The event also includes special performances by Tyler Perry and Disney star Stephanie Ferrett.

In Francesca’s Words …

Philanthropy is a huge part of PR, not only for the non-profit/charity itself, but for the sponsors, partners and brands associated with it. Linking a non-profit to an event or brand helps create a deeper meaning to the event – attendees like to know that their presence and support is going toward a cause-related purpose, not just for profit. Not only do charitable events help with event attendance, but they also help to generate a bigger media and word of mouth buzz about the brand and charity.

Project Rainbow is a well-estabished non-profit in Puerto Rico, where it was founded, but is new to the United States. In partnering with Taylrz Joynt Boutique, we created a highly targeted event relevant for those fashion influencers loyal to the boutique by giving them an opportunity to feel more closely connected to the boutique and this lesser-known non-profit. The goals of the event are to promote Taylrz Joynt’s new clothing line and to raise funds for Project Rainbow through a few different tactics.

First, we selected five girls from local domestic abuse shelters and provided them with a three day workshop that included pampering, personal development, self defense and yoga classes and a delicious dinner. Next, the girls will walk to the runway at the event with their new looks, wearing Taylrz Joynt Boutique spring/summer collection and her new fashion line Taylr Jay. The workshop was also filmed, and we will premier the result at the event on April 28th at Athenea Lounge in Sherman Oaks. We are expecting media, press and 350 people in attendance. Half of the door fee goes to the non profit (the other half to the venue) and there will be an opportunity to give on-site donations at the event.

5 Tips for Fashion & Cause Related Events:

Start early! Especially if you are working with less known brands, you need to educate sponsors, media and supporters with important information on WHO your client is and give yourself enough time to sell the event. Working with a lesser known client will be extra work as you need to push much more.

Find sponsors that are appropriate to the level of your client. I always try to aim high and attack larger brands and media to get involved, but it can sometimes be a little bit of a reach. So make sure to balance your media targets and sponsors so you aren’t wasting time trying to lock in the big dogs when there are plenty of people out there
who would love to support your event.

Reach out to local communities and organizations. I find that depending on the cause of your philanthropy, there are tons of organizations that are willing to help generate buzz for you on their event bulletins and newsletters.

Remember, the purpose of your event is not only to generate buzz and coverage for your client, but also to build content for your client’s press kit.  The larger portfolio of things they are involved in, the more attractive and established they will seem to media, buyers, etc. This will bring more business in the future.

Choose the cause wisely and have a clear idea of who your audience is.  Project Rainbow mostly helps young women facing domestic abuse. While this is supporting women, we do not want to only market it towards a female audience but encourage men will come to. Incorporating a “hot” celebrity or singer to perform/attend with mass appeal can help  keep the audience neutral.

We are expecting media, press and 350 people in attendance.

Filed Under: News & Events, PR Couture, Tips & Strategy Tagged With: Celebrity PR, Fashion Events, Front Row Fashion PR, Media Relations

A Gem of Her Own: Eco Jewelry Designer Joy Opfer Shares Celebrity & Start-up Tips

December 30, 2010 4 Comments written by Crosby

Joy Opfer had one of those successful yet not super fulfilling careers as a graphic/web designer for one of the big guys during the dot-com era. Then, a successful trunk show for her passion project propelled her to leave that world behind entirely and join the entrepreneurial ranks through her eponymous jewelry line, Joy O Designs, and Studio 3579, a boutique she ran for several years in San Francisco’s colorful Mission District with fashion label Saffron.

Joy experienced early success with celebrity gifting (Anne Hathaway wore Joy O Designs front row at Erin Fetherston in 2008 and Eva Longoria, and Cameron Diaz are also big fans),  and ongoing media outreach, product placement, social media, e-commerce and wholesale has sustained Joy O for over 3 years.

With a few friends in common, I found myself being scooped up by Joy on a blustery San Francisco day, and honored with a full studio tour and in-depth conversation with a fellow art-obsessed, inspiration board making kindred spirit.

It is readily apparent when Joy glowingly recalls the experience of taking her first few few jewelry-making classes that she has come home to herself through this artistic medium. Her latest collection of designer eco-jewelry, Kyler, is gaelic for “grove of trees,” and mimics the naturally geometry present in our world. Pieces are drawn and then handmade locally using recycled + recyclable materials like stainless steel, 14k gold fill, sterling silver, black zinc, + artisan glass. Identifying and sourcing local, recycled metals was no easy feat, and Joy has even gone a step further, packaging everything in reusable and recyclable recycled paper, and cradle-to-cradle shipping boxes are certified and donating a portion of profits to several different charities.

Her power crystal collection is based on the natural crystal structures in nature, each creation is named for the crystal it represents. Joy gifted me with one of these necklaces and have rarely taken it off these past few weeks – and why would I? Subtle yet still attention-getting, it goes with everything (including the zippered sweatshirt, seen here, that I have been living in) and gets compliment every day. New Favorite Necklace.

Crosby Noricks Kyler Designs(Sorry for the photo booth neck shot, but it’s Sunday morning, I’m blogging in bed, and so no. However, this is proof that I actually did sleep in this necklace!)

Joy began working with Nash Yacoub, founder and managing director of SUCCARRA, a full service agency specializing in public relations, celebrity gifting, and account representation, when both the designer and the publicist were just getting started.  Joy and Nash connected when Nash called her up after seeing some early press, and the two have worked closely together ever since in what Joy calls “creative partnership.”

Medley, Kyler Designs Eco-Friendly Necklace

Kyler Designs Eco-Friendly Necklaces

I emailed Nash to get some additional details on both the agency and partnership, and she shared the following:

“When I started SUCCARRA back in 2007, it was a celebrity outreach business. After working with Joy on this we decided to work together in a PR and Sales capacity and we haven’t looked back since. SUCCARRA has grown to 26 clients but Joy was my second client and I simply adore her. At SUCCARRA we work with emerging designers and guide them through building not only a business but ideally a brand, and Joy has that rare quality of being a designer and business person in one, which is nearly impossible to find. She has the ability to design new collections and stick to deadlines and all the while welcoming any and all feedback. I’m thrilled for how much her business has grown and hope that we had a small part of that, but to be honest she’s done the heavy lifting, she knows what it takes to have longevity and is able to ride the waves. It’s always easy to work with her, she’s a true pleasure and I’m very proud of her.”

Wonderful, no? Here are a few additional nuggets collected while drinking chai in Jo’s home studio.

jo o design kyler eco earrings

Quartz : Amplifier pendant earrings

The Mantra: Save Your Money, Quit Your job, Get Help

Be prepared to go at least six months without an income and recognize that you can’t do everything. Looking back, Joy says she wished she had reached out for help in the areas she wasn’t as strong in, rather than trying to do everything herself – as it would have been more efficient in the long-run and helped create space and time to focus on the jewelry.

Leverage Celebrity Press for Wholesale Appeal

Celebrity credibility builds upon itself – once you have a few celebrity customers, use that information to approach buyers and wholesalers.

When it Comes to Online Marketing, Imitation Equals Low-Budget Testing

Look at large companies that have a similar audience to you, and pay attention to what they do.  As an example, print out a few email newsletters and take a look at where the content is placed, what do the subject lines say? The idea here is that you can reap the benefits of the testing done by the big-guys without paying for it.

In addition to Facebook and Online PR, Make Friends With Polyvore

Don’t miss out on leveraging Polyvore as a PR/Sales channel. Joy creates sets on Polyvore that feature her jewelry and cross posts them to her blog and Facebook page. She recently worked directly with Polyvore as a featured designer and contributed product in gift bags at a recent Polyvore Meet Up.

Favorite Sites for Inspiration

For more of Jo’s favorites, visit the We Heart section of her site.

Filed Under: Fashion Brands, PR Couture, PR Interviews, Tips & Strategy Tagged With: Celebrity PR, Jewelry PR, Polyvore
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