Manifesting A Career In Fashion PR with Samantha Riggi
@soshewore
In Manifesting Manolos first, Manifesting with Industry Leaders & Influencers series, we have Samantha Riggi, New Jersey native, habitué New Yorker and retired fashion publicist. Sam has previously worked at Alice + Olivia, Saint Laurent, Cosmopolitian.com and Factory PR.
She is also known as @soshewore and is very familiar with NYFW. Sam is sharing her experience in fashion PR, fashion favorites and what she plans to manifest in 2021 with Manifesting Manolos.
MM: How did you get your start in fashion PR?
SR: I was so young, a sophomore in college majoring in Communications, who wanted to work in fashion and thought PR would be a good place to land myself. I had no connections in the industry and knew nothing other than what I’ve seen on TV and read about in books. I took a 1-credit internship course at Quinnipiac just before I ventured into trying to find myself internships. This was 2012 and the world was so different than today. In order to find out which companies were looking for interns I had to go on Google and find small blogs who had fashion internship postings. Fashionista.com was a small page back then with a few postings. FreeFashionInternships.com didn’t really have many postings but blew up a couple years later. LinkedIn wasn’t as good a tool back then for fashion interns. Yes, larger companies, like Tory Burch for example, had internships on their careers page that you could apply to – but I wanted direct contact with someone at the company. I found random postings on Google and sent a cold email praying for a response. Finally, I heard back from Nanette Lepore. I went for my interview and shortly after heard that I received the internship. I had no experience prior, but it just took that one opportunity to start building my resume.
MM: We all know how difficult it is to get your foot in the door in fashion, can you share any tips on how to break into the industry?
SR:Be on your toes, keep up with industry news, take every opportunity to build your resume, cold email every contact you can get your hands on asking if they’re looking for interns.
MM: What is a typical day like for a fashion publicist?
SR: Everything changes everyday, there’s no typical day as a fashion publicist.
MM: TV and books glamorize the job of a publicist in the same way they do that of an editor. (Example: Samantha Jones in SATC) Do you agree or disagree with how the PR world is portrayed?
SR: Totally disagree, you are the one who is behind the glamour making sure the glamour exists.
MM: What are some similarities and differences between working at a PR agency vs in house for a brand?
SR: Agencies are tough, you’re constantly doing 10 things at a time, you’re usually understaffed with a huge client load – but the upside is you learn things very quickly and you expand your contacts. In house, you’re solely focused on one client, your workload is a fraction of what it is at an agency and sometimes you even still work with an agency who does a lot of the “heavy-lifting” so to speak. It allows you to connect with the brand at a deeper level.
MM: What 3 qualities would you say make for a stellar fashion publicist?
SR: Organized, Multi-tasker and superb communication skills.
MM: Any advice for someone manifesting a career in fashion PR in 2021?
SR: TBH I have no idea considering the state of the world – your best bet is to reach out and email people or go on Linked In or even get in touch with recruiters.
MM: Do you have any fun or interesting stories you can share from NYFW?
SR: When I was working at Cosmopolitan.com as a freelancer I was able to attend the shows that then editor-in chief Amy Odell did not want to attend. I sat 3rd at the Public School show and outside of the show Bill Cunningham took my photo. I tracked down his assistant and was able to get the photo sent to me. You can actually see Bill in my reflective round Ray-Ban sunglasses as proof.
MM: Current favorite designer or brand?
SR: My favorite designer will always be Hedi Slimane who is now at CELINE. My favorite brand fluctuates. It's too hard to pick.
MM: Three wardrobe essentials?
SR: For me it's probably sunglasses, a go-to designer purse (I love my Saint Laurent small sac du jour) and a comfortable pair of sneakers.
MM: One item from your wardrobe you can’t live without?
SR: Sunglasses, anything CELINE.
MM: Any upcoming trends for spring we should keep an eye out for?
SR: Loose-fit jeans, sweater vests, chunky loafers, small 90’s shoulder bags.
MM: What are you manifesting for yourself in 2021?
SR: Nothing other than health and some normalcy and maybe a CHANEL bag.
