Take a deep dive into the insights and key lessons from 15 years of leading one of fashion PR’s most dynamic agencies with Phillip Bodenham, CEO of SPRING LA. From major industry milestones to forward-thinking strategies, Bodenham offers a rare glimpse into what it takes to succeed in this competitive space. Read on for his approach to handling high-profile clients, navigating digital shifts, and the advice he has for the next generation of PR professionals.
Phillip Bodenham, CEO of Spring LA
Reflecting on 15 years in the fashion PR industry, what are a few of your agency’s most memorable milestones thus far?
I think opening our US office in Los Angeles was a major moment. Not many people run an international business. I was living two months in LA and London, back and forth. It wasn’t so easy, and I can see why people don’t do it! I’d also say working with major talents like Hussein Chalayan and An and Filip of A.F.Vandevorst, one of the coolest Belgian labels, both for years was truly an inspiring time. The London teams and I were running their shows in Paris, and were there for some major fashion moments, like Hussein's dresses melting in the water. Hussein was very special, and so chic. In Paris, he would always give me a private walk through of the board and collection and wanted to know what I thought of everything. Most people were scared of him, he’s a major intellectual, but we would sit with a small tight knit group of his friends after the show at Café des Flores and drink wine and talk about fashion history and have a wonderful time. Great memories. I’d also say I personally handled blowing up contemporary brands Rejina Pyo and AJE at their most at their peak, and so having those huge commercial wins as calling cards is nice also. I like the balance of the highly elevated fashion wins, and then the commercial successes we made.
Please share a few top lessons you’ve learned along the way (can be across leadership, brands/clients, PR, etc.)?
Always be modern. So much of the industry is irrelevant and a waste of everyone’s time, resources and budget. I’m good at editing and getting to the meat. You really have to question ‘why are we doing this?’. I like to ensure we’re always in dialogue as a team and with our clients about that. In terms of teams, I would say I’m really good at spotting talent and training them up. A few clients have complimented me on how well my teams are trained and run. Having started at Tom Ford at 20, it was drilled into me that things had to be right, half cooked just wouldn’t do. So I don’t believe in perfection, but I do believe in excellence. PR and agency life can be tough, so I instill in the teams that we want to be one of the best, and that at the end of the day if you can close your laptop and personally know, without being told by a client, ‘today I really killed it’ – there’s a huge amount of dignity and satisfaction in that.
Kim Kardashian on the cover of Vogue Japan
Considering the shift from traditional media to digital platforms, how has your agency adapted its strategies over the years?
When I left HUGO BOSS as senior brand marketing manager in 2009 and launched my agency, I named it Spring because I had seen the writing on the wall regarding digital. I wanted us to be a modern, forward-thinking outfit. I’d worked when I was in house with many of the big namesake agencies and felt a lot of them were just dialing it in, and didn’t really get how all elements of the marketing mix I needed to utilize my end. I’d say that’s always been our mission. I don’t want to waste time and budget doing things that don’t work. And that’s something I personally enjoy, and my clients feel the benefit of. We were one of the first agencies in London to establish a dedicated VIP team. In 2018 when we decided to open the US office it was NY or LA, I chose LA as I could see the growing relevance of VIP dressing and the resulting media farm out, influencer and digital strategies. I called the death of print years ago. It's sad, of course, but life moves on. Instagram is a daily edited magazine curated just for you. How could print with its long lead times possibly compete? So we saw that coming a long while back, and got ahead of it.
What are some strategies you've developed for fostering connections with media and/or influencers?
Well, the truth is that I have been doing this since I was 19 at Versace, then YSL, Mulberry and HUGO BOSS, before starting SPRING 15 years ago. When I was 19 my boss at YSL in London was having an affair and so would peel off most days leaving everything to me! The late Ed Filipowski from KCD saw what was going on and when she left, he put me in charge of the UK press office (Tom Ford’s GUCCI GROUP had just moved to London, and in the changeover from the old guard had given running the strategy at YSL to Ed). I was 21. So I got to meet all the big people back then and we have grown up together, from Nicola Formichetti, Nancy Rohde, Edward Enninful, all the old Vogue girls in the US and London, I mean I met everyone. I lived with Derek Blasberg in London when he was an intern at ID. Fun times. It’s been the same with influencers really, we've been a strong agency in London and LA working globally for a long time, and so there are not many people I can’t reach these days.
Florence Pugh wears Maticevski to Dune: Part Two London Photocall
How do you foresee AI/technology and/or social media changing the landscape of fashion PR in the next few years? Any tips for navigating these trends successfully?
I’m unconvinced AI is going to change everything. I have a hunch there is going to be a humanistic push back if there is much overreach. Look at what’s happening in film – theatres have removed showing films that have been written by AI due to consumers saying they don’t want it. People don’t want it, it's too far. I can’t see it taking PR jobs. There is too much of the human connection in what we do, it's so textural. You can’t have a machine do this. I also think we are at peak social media. People are fried. We are too plugged in, for too long. I see it with the younger ones in the office – they are starting to put it down and say, ‘we don’t want this’. I think Instagram is great because it's visual and it works to showcase and sell products. Wonderful–what’s not to like? But there has to be a point where it’s enough, and I feel that coming.
What advice would you give to aspiring PR professionals looking to break into the fashion industry today?
Stop jumping around. Get in a great brand or agency and learn the ropes. Most of my staff stay for years, you can spot the jumpers straight away. Here’s the deal – it takes at least six months to flow with the company, then another 12 where you are on fire, learning, and doing a great job (if you’re good!). be great at that level and stop trying to shimmy up the ladder ASAP. Do you want to be solid and strong at every stage, and build a career, or be mediocre because you didn’t give it enough time to percolate? I’m much more impressed when I see a CV where someone has stayed at several places for good chunks of time – it shows strength of character and that you got stuck in.
