Exposure- reveal the secrets of fashion PR

This Wednesday at LCS it was all about PR. We all went on a little ‘school trip’ to Soho  based PR company, Exposure.

They are an independent communications agency who deal in creative solutions to business challenges, craft campaigns and convey ideas on marketing. Exposure get involved in PR , brand strategy, press releases  and more for a broad spectrum of companies, from beauty to food and beverages.

The company was based in 1993 and it covers Europe, America and Japan. Among their clients there are big brands like: Coca Cola, Unilever, Nestle, Martini, Samsung, Levi’s, Hobbs, Dr. Martens etc.

Some of Exposure's clients

On arrival, we were greeted by Sian Clayton, who has been in the company for 7 months and worked her way up and is now the in charge of the company’s show rooms, liaising with all queries regarding the garments available at Exposure. 

Sian showed us around the two show rooms: the high street section and the high end room and explained how the whole process works and how she ensures the selected clothes  only go out to the best of clients.

The brands in the high street show room  were :

 -Levi’s denim with their new waterproof collection, designed for cycling. Several other designs are present in  this collection, some of which were not available on the catwalk.

Levi's new collection

- Hobbs who, Sian was saying, have been getting a lot of interest from Vogue this season and have been featured in several shoots already. I have to say their new collection looks very high end and I found that the shoes they designed now have a very classic, 40’s feel but in gorgeous nude colours. I may need to get my hands on one of those nude pink pairs before they sell out.

Beautiful, classic shoes from Hobbs

- Nike with their women’s  and men’s wear collections that have been popular in issues like Elle and Glamour. Nike’s gym gear tends to be used as a canvas to build on, as leggings and vests are often mixed with high end elements to produce amazing editorial material.

I love these funky trainers from Nike!!

-Penguin- with their menswear collection, according to Sian, are mainly used for their quality polo shirts which can be spotted in magazines like FHM.

-Sainsbury’s collection was a nice surprise.. I wouldn't have thought Exposure catered for the ‘supermarket lines’ but Sian explained that due to the new design team at Sainsbury’s and their whole new ideas, garments from Sainsbury’s have been flying off the shelves and are very sought after. This season they have already featured in a few magazines: Glamour, Grazia and Elle.

-New Era is a new brand that Exposure acquired recently and who appear mostly alongside Nike in editorials. For the time being they only have a small amount of items, mainly caps. The designs are quite classic but feature logos and prints in strong, funky colours, which is what makes the brand stand out.

The lack of space in the tiny show room is very obvious, all brands have their own stall, but  are quite close together.

-Dr Martens punk inspired boots collection featuring tartan, studs, winter florals is a very wearable range, with a very high degree of comfort. Dr. Martens  have  extended their designs to clothing too, which, I think, was a great idea; their mohair jumpers look and feel amazing. Also in this section there is a collection that was designed in collaboration with Agyness Deyn (see picture below). Highlights from the range include large, teapot-embroidered collars and a navy, shadow-check coat and dress. The new collection, will hit stores on September 30.

Due to the lack of space, the High end premium show room is situated next door in a separate building.

Unlike the pervious show room, the high end room comprises a good selection of jewelry with some of their designers having worked for Chanel.

Mckintosh  classic macs in colourful versions, Holly Fulton –rock and roll SS14 collection, Agi & Sam unconventional designs, Christopher Raeburn’s  waterproof collection for men, John Smedley quality turtle necks and Folk’s sought after pieces were all displayed in the second show room and looked the part- either because of the originality of the materials used or  because of their amazing  cut and stitching.

My favourite brand was Levi’s premium , who are included on the high end list due to the fact that they are concentrating on re-making vintage pieces. For their made and crafted line, the archives are consulted and old designs are re- made entirely to copy particular vintage items but a modern twist is given to the garments by using better fabrics and materials.( eg. 1030’s shorts, 50’s or 70’s leather jackets).

Accessories displayed in the high end show room are striking and the use of detail is what makes them stand out.

Clients, various magazines and stylists are always in need of Exposure’s garments and there is a firm protocol in place that Sian gladly shared with us. All clients need to send a brief, normally an e-mail and give as much detail as possible regarding the coming shoot and the clothes needed for it. Sian is quite strict when it comes to certain brands, especially the high end ones, which won’t be easily released to lesser known clients, due to the cost of the garments. Also in some cases the designers themselves request  to only be associated with certain clientele. All the clothes that go out for shoots need to be returned in pristine condition  and communication needs to be a priority at all times , only then can a client build a relationship based on trust and professionalism with the PR company.

In order to promote the new collections, Exposure organize press days that go on for one or two days. Invitations are sent out  mainly to stylists, bloggers and  press  to come in and have a look at key pieces from the new season. This ensures that all potential clients know exactly what is available in the show rooms each season.