Director, Public Relations
Fashion Brand
Employment Type: Full-Time + Hybrid – 4 days/week in office in Stamford CT
About the Job
Our client is a growing premium consumer lifestyle and apparel organization seeking an experienced, strategic Director of Public Relations to lead earned media, brand storytelling, executive communications, and reputation management. This leader will help strengthen cultural relevance, elevate brand visibility, and create compelling narratives across consumer, lifestyle, business, retail, and fashion media.
Reporting to senior marketing leadership, the Director of Public Relations will develop and execute an integrated communications strategy that supports seasonal campaigns, product launches, partnerships, retail initiatives, and long-term business growth. The ideal candidate is an accomplished storyteller, trusted media advisor, collaborative people leader, and relationship-driven communications professional.
Key Responsibilities
Brand Communications Strategy
- Develop and lead a comprehensive public relations strategy to increase brand awareness, strengthen reputation, and build cultural relevance.
- Create earned-media plans supporting seasonal campaigns, product launches, collaborations, partnerships, retail initiatives, and corporate milestones.
- Partner with executive leadership to align communications with business priorities, brand positioning, and long-term growth objectives.
- Establish measurable performance indicators to demonstrate the impact of communications activity on brand awareness, engagement, and business results.
Media Relations & Brand Visibility
- Cultivate strong relationships with fashion, lifestyle, consumer, retail, business, travel, sports, and broadcast media contacts.
- Lead proactive media outreach and identify high-impact storytelling opportunities that build brand affinity with priority audiences.
- Develop executive thought-leadership opportunities, media profiles, and speaking engagements.
- Monitor media coverage, competitive activity, consumer sentiment, and cultural trends to identify opportunities and risks.
Integrated Campaign Communications
- Lead communications planning for seasonal collections, partnerships, retail openings, experiential activations, community initiatives, and corporate announcements.
- Partner with social media, creative, advertising, retail marketing, e-commerce, wholesale, merchandising, product, influencer, and talent teams to deliver unified storytelling.
- Create messaging frameworks that ensure consistency across earned, owned, shared, and paid channels.
Editorial, Product & Events Communications
- Oversee press previews, editor appointments, media events, collection launches, and product storytelling initiatives.
- Direct product seeding, editorial sample management, and showroom or press-office operations to maximize meaningful placements.
- Translate product innovation, craftsmanship, and seasonal assortments into compelling editorial narratives.
- Lead strategic planning and execution for press events, media previews, influencer experiences, launches, and VIP activations.
Corporate Communications & Leadership
- Advise senior leaders on executive messaging, corporate communications, issues management, and reputation strategy.
- Develop crisis communications plans and maintain readiness for emerging issues.
- Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing public relations team in a collaborative, creative, and results-oriented environment.
- Manage external agency relationships, budgets, communications planning processes, and performance expectations.
What You Bring
- 10+ years of progressive public relations and communications experience within premium consumer brands, fashion, lifestyle, retail, or a leading public relations agency.
- Demonstrated success developing integrated earned-media strategies that build brand equity and support commercial growth.
- Established relationships with national fashion, lifestyle, consumer, business, travel, sports, and media industry contacts.
- Experience leading communications for consumer-facing brands with strong editorial and storytelling positioning.
- Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, and executive communication skills.
- Proven experience managing agencies, budgets, media events, and cross-functional marketing initiatives.
- A strategic, detail-oriented mindset with the ability to translate ideas into high-quality execution.
- Collaborative leadership skills and the ability to influence stakeholders across functions and seniority levels.
- Strong understanding of the evolving media landscape, including digital publishing, creators, podcasts, newsletters, social platforms, and emerging communications channels.
- A passion for consumer brands, culture, storytelling, and building lasting audience connections.
Benefits
- Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package
- 401(k) plan
- Commuter benefits
- Paid family leave
- Health savings and flexible spending accounts
- Life and disability insurance
- Wellness programs and fitness resources
- Employee product discount
- Paid time off and holiday schedule
