Now a student at the London College of Fashion studying Design and Development, Kat Jackson initially uncovered her interest in the fashion industry through numerous visits to fashion exhibits at museums throughout London. At British menswear and accessories brand Hackett London, Kat learned enough about fashion PR to keep her headed toward the career of her dreams, ideally somewhere in California.
Kat Jackson, Hackett London
I have been extremely privileged to have travelled all over the world visiting numerous cities and indulging in different cultures which is where my love of fashion, people and communication began. Growing up in a small historic city in Worcester, England (famous for Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce) my school had an award winning Fashion and Textiles department; I owe a lot to the great teaching I received there. With numerous trips to London in school holidays, visiting fashion exhibitions at the V & A and Design Museum is where my love for London ignited. The fast paced and buzzing artistic city felt the only place to be with the best chance to intern and surrounded by the fashion industry. I am now in my final year at London College of Fashion (BA) Fashion Design and Development and look forward to graduating in July 2013.
Fashion PR hones in on my personality and my passions- I have always been super organised, hardworking and very sociable and I would often be in trouble for being too chatty! Meeting and networking with new interesting people of all ages and cultures inspires me, my finer moments in life have been from talking to people; I landed my very first internship in fashion styling by meeting the well-renowned stylists’ partner who had asked me to iron his suit- who knew that one small favour would result in being taken to a French Vogue shoot! That’s just the way the PR world works helping each other out and over exceeding expectations you see great results.
Staying motivated, open-minded and positive was key as I already had previous PR experience I needed to wait for a company to give me a chance. Remaining patient and dedicating time applying and researching the companies was also very important. I had a few interviews and was given offers but my personal goal was to take on an internship with responsibility to use the year to its full advantage. The Hackett London PR internship came up through my university who sent my CV. I was amazed when I immediately felt welcomed and the job role was more than I could ever expect from an internship year. In my second interview, I met with the Marketing Director to talk through a presentation on the company that all candidates were asked to prepare. I was so excited when I got the job I took on another summer Fashion PR internship before I started just so I felt more confident beginning the placement role.
I was so fortunate to receive expertise within press and events at Hackett London with substantial support and guidance. As we were such a small team I was involved in a multi-dimensional PR experience. My main responsibilities were communicating with press for sample requests and pulling samples from store if required, collating press clippings and generating AVE reports against competitor brands, helping coordinate look book shoots and sending press mail outs. I was also involved in organising events including our sponsorship with the BAFTA Awards and Spring Summer 2013 London Men’s Collections at the London Royal Opera House and new store launch party in Milan. As well as meeting press at Pitti Uomo and Bimbo trade show; being able to travel to Milan and Florence was an incredible bonus.
A couple of new events were taken on in the year I interned including sponsorship for the BAFTA Awards. With such a short preparation time it made for a highly stressful, tense time with multiple projects going on simultaneously making being able to multi-task effectively crucial. However, with hard work and good communication between our team it allowed the event to be a major success without our press coverage faltering. All in all, I never quite anticipated how much responsibility and reward I would receive from being part of such a small successful PR team.
Taking part in organising Hackett London’s Spring Summer 2013 London Men’s Collections, Hackett’s first show, was a highlight. I helped during model castings, sent out invitations and coordinated seating plans as well as being front of house greeting press on the day. Fantastic press turn-out ensured we gained outstanding press coverage including being published in the International Herald Tribune. We also received highly positive feedback that made all the dedication worthwhile.
Upmost and foremost I believe in good communication, networking and meeting clients needs whether it be in fashion, travel, technology or entertainment. I think it’s important to stay open-minded, I have many passions and transferable skills, which is why a multi-tiered PR agency would be preferable but not limited to. My professional ambition at the moment is to find a permanent position within Public Relation in California. I have been very lucky to have lived and worked in London for 4 years but desire a change; life is about taking opportunities, risks and meeting new people and experiencing what the world has to offer. I would like to embark on a career in PR that enables me to progress, learn and have responsibility – these are the most significant factors for me as someone first starting out in Public Relations.
Are you a current or former fashion PR intern with a story to tell? Submit your information to be considered for PR Couture’s Getting IN series, or email ally[at]prcouture.com for more information.
