Siim Kohv
What are the key things you have to consider when lending to a stylist?
That is one of the most difficult parts of the job. You might know a stylist for years who becomes quite a good friend, then suddenly they have been hired to do a one-off freelance job for a publication which would not be suitable for our client. On occasions like that, we would have to decline. Not every publication is suitable for each client. As PRs, it’s our responsibility to know the readership of the magazine and make a decision as to whether the publication would be in line with the philosophy of the brand.
What is the etiquette regarding sending out and getting back samples?
As there are huge numbers of worldwide requests to attend to we try to send out the samples at the last minute. Unless the shoot is abroad, we send out samples the day before and we require them back the day after the shoot. There are occasions when samples get misplaced for up to a month as they might have been sent back to the wrong place, but we do have a policy of invoicing the stylist or publication for any lost or stolen items after a month.
What do you find most annoying about stylists?
Returning clothes in a disrespectful manner or having them just thrown into a bag. Everything is always sent out in pristine condition and nicely folded as the samples have to last for a whole five months and each garment goes through an average of about 100 shoots during that time.
What advice would you give an assistant coming into the industry?
Fashion is much more than just pretty clothes. Everyone from stylists to PRs have worked many years for free or 20-hour days to make it to where they are. It is a cut-throat industry.
Which type of stylists do you always lend to and why?
As a fashion PR, our main goal is really an editorial in a fashion magazine. That is usually our absolute priority but we do make exceptions if we have a special request from an A-list celebrity who we would like to appear as a brand ambassador for a special event.
With young stylists coming in, how do you decide to lend to them, if they do not have a commissioning letter from a magazine and just want to get their book together?
Becoming a stylist is a rather lengthy process, you can’t decide to do it overnight and walk into a PR office asking for clothes. Most stylists have done work experience for a stylist or a magazine for a while, so they know the industry already. Once they move to work on their own, we are of course happy to help them to take the next step, but we would not be able to assist someone we do not know.