Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Stylist Executive Fashion Director to give guest lecture
The talk, which is one of a number of guest lectures organised by Lucy Laville, Course Leader and Senior Lecturer in the School Of Strategy, Marketing and Communication, will see Kitty discuss her career in PR and media, offering top tips to students hoping to forge a career within the industry.
Lucy said: “We really value the relationships and contributions we have from our alumni. Kitty’s return to share her career and knowledge will be a great experience for our students. Her career since graduating in 2008 has been rapid and exciting to watch and we can’t wait to hear all about it.”
Originally from Manchester, Kitty studied for a BA (Hons) in Public Relations at Leeds Beckett from 2004 to 08, gaining a 2:1. As part of her degree, Kitty opted to complete a year’s placement at Manchester-based B2B (business to business) and consumer PR agency, Crush Communications, working on clients such as London Fashion Week and XFM. Upon graduating Kitty was offered a full time position with them.
Kitty said: “Leeds Beckett University was a brilliant start to my career in PR – it’s one of the most well-thought of PR courses in the country and there were some really important elements of the course that helped me on my way to a career in fashion PR and later fashion journalism.
“Doing a year in industry helped me and all of my peers secure jobs after we graduated – almost all with the companies that we had done our placements with. There are lots of graduates from the course that go on to do amazing things – from sports marketing to fashion PR and journalism. It offers students all of the tools they need to make the transition from undergraduate to first jobs and I’m really excited to be given the opportunity to be able to talk to students at the University I attended.”
Following the closure of Crush Communications in 2008, when Founder and Director, Caroline Rush, was appointed CEO of the British Fashion Council (BFC) and moved the agency to set up the BFC in-house press office, Kitty moved with her. Her role was to promote British fashion on a global scale and manage all UK public relations, including flagship events as London Fashion Week and the British Fashion Awards.
In 2010 Kitty moved to Selfridges as Womenswear Press Officer where she was responsible for driving coverage of the store’s brands and events. In 2012 she made the decision to move into media after being offered the role as Executive Fashion Editor at Stylist magazine; her role included shooting a weekly still life page, contributing to fashion news and to stylist.co.uk and managing off-book activity, such as seasonal trend presentations and attending the international fashion weeks. In July 2014 Kitty was promoted to her current position of Executive Fashion Director.
Stylist Magazine is a free, weekly publication which targets affluent 20 to 40-year-old female commuters with high end content that includes fashion, travel, beauty, people and careers news. The magazine aims to take an intelligent approach, covering a broader range of culture and tackling issues women face in their professional and personal lives.
The guest lecture is free and open to all Leeds Beckett staff and students. It will take place at 1pm in Rose Bowl Lecture Theatre E.