As today's designers have more opportunity and obligation to harness their image, so do the Fashion Agencies that represent them, challenging the traditional rules of fashion PR and how designers perceive PR. In today's meaning, Pierre Cardin seems to has been free from such duties...

Fans want more than just clothing from today's popular designers. In today's fashion industry, designers are honing personal image to support their brand, and fashion PR is adjusting accordingly. Behind-the-scenes fashion on reality shows such as Project Runway and The Fashionista Diaries, and celebrated fashion critics such as Tim Gunn, have changed consumers' expectations of designers, according to a Women's Wear Daily article covering his H&M line launch..

"The public responds well to opportunities to learn more about the people who propel the industry forward," says Crosby Noricks, AE at BERKMAN. Noricks, who also founded the blog site PRCouture.com, attributes the effects on designers to online media, which grants the average fashion consumer access to runway shows in real time. "As part of that access," she explains, "consumers also want to know the story behind the designer." Pam Morris, account supervisor at Alison Brod PR, also attributes the industry changes to reality TV and media attention. "Fashion magazines are always interviewing people now, not just about their designs, but their favorite restaurants," she says, referring to designer profiles in The New York Times, which on November 15 published a story on the positive impact of Marc Jacobs' "tabloid glare" on his designs.

Of course, today's obsession with celebrity - confirmed by the success of brand empires built by actual celebrities - plays a key role. "Today, with the nature of celebrity culture and the media that supports that... there are more opportunities to create news about a brand name," says Raoul Shah, CEO at Exposure PR, referring to labels by Russell Simmons and Diddy. Shah explains that, in the past, designers such as Coco Chanel and Gianni Versace were primarily great designers. They were dressing celebrities, but it was more about the third-party than themselves. Now, while new designers are still judged on the quality of their designs, they're starting to gain some sense of balance between their commercial smarts and their creativity. As today's designers have more opportunity and obligation to harness their image, so do the agencies that represent them, challenging the traditional rules of fashion PR and how designers perceive PR.