Suzanne Droese and her team showcase that relationships matter and impactful national agency work can be done outside of New York and LA. Dallas-based Droese Public Relations has a long history in luxury lifestyle and fashion PR, and this year saw the agency take the lead on major projects within retail, hospitality, consumer products and charity focus areas that target what they call the “caring consumer.” This consumer cares about craftsmanship, founder stories and an experiential lifestyle. For instance, DPR became the RH (formerly Restoration Hardware) Special Projects agency in partnership with Carfrae Consulting to successfully open new concepts in Dallas, Jacksonville and San Francisco in the last year. They also partnered with Major Food Group to spearhead the hospitality giant’s expansion into Dallas with three of their concepts, one being new to the hospitality group (Carbone, Sadelle’s and Carbone VINO). The agency coordinated two highly anticipated fundraising events – TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art benefiting amfAR and the Dallas Museum of Art, and the 60th annual Art Ball for the Dallas Museum of Art (Droese is a chair of both events).
Leadership team:
Suzanne Droese, Principal
Notable long-term clients:
Gucci (Texas), Casa Dragones Tequila (Select National and Regional + Texas), Southern Tide, Perini Ranch, Leatherology, Kimberly Schlegel Whitman, Miron Crosby, The Conservatory, Bell’INVITO
New client wins:
Major Food Group - Sadelles, Carbone, VINO (Texas efforts), Good Eggs, Lion Brothers, Beaufort Bonnet Company, Finley Shirts, Tracee Nichols Jewelry
How are you innovating and moving the industry forward?
“As a leader in the client-services industry, Droese Public Relations has been at the forefront of innovation and moving the industry forward while always putting our clients first. DPR’s client roster stems directly from referrals – meaning that we thrive on building relationships with our clients. As a boutique agency, DPR takes pride in managing accounts and clients based on trust, transparency and thoughtfulness – three very important cornerstones in today’s era. Additionally, DPR is leveraging success points from the traditional PR model to reimagine strategies that will appeal to the ‘caring consumer.’ The company keeps its finger on the pulse of culture and news, and takes pride in helping clients navigate today’s social and environmental climate.”
With a resume listing prior leadership roles at brands like Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, it comes as no surprise that Malcolm Carfrae’s namesake communications agency represents some of the most stylish fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands out there. Aside from being well-heeled, Carfrae and his team are reputed for their 360-degree global services, from PR, retail marketing, branding and corporate comms to events, social media and VIP. This year, the agency’s client list has grown to include luxury names across spirits, hospitality and activewear.
Leadership team:
Malcolm Carfrae, Founder & Principal
Notable long-term clients:
Zimmermann, Dr Barbara Sturm, RH
New client wins:
Wölffer, The Colony Hotel, Perfect Moment
What have been some of the agency’s greatest successes of the past year?
“The return of global events, including those in Madrid, NYC, the Hamptons, San Francisco, Miami and Palm Beach – with many more to come.”
