As Fashion Companies Pull Back Spending Amid Coronavirus Crisis, P.R. Firms Feel the Pain

As the coronavirus spreads around the world, fashion companies are postponing shows and events and pulling back on advertising, while glossy magazines are putting their planned shoots on ice. As a result, public relations agencies are feeling the impact in all the fashion capitals. Some are trying to weather the COVID-19 storm with a full staff for the time being, but others have come to the difficult decision in the past few days that they need to trim pay or cut staff. Among the latter is PR Consulting, the New York–based agency run by Pierre Rougier and Sylvie Picquet-Damesme, whose clients include Narciso Rodriguez, Dries Van Noten, Loewe, Acne, Gabriela Hearst, Raf Simons and Moncler. “We were forced to make the heartbreaking decision to lay off 32 employees at the end of this coming week in order to keep the company running under the current circumstances,” Rougier and Picquet-Damesme said in an e-mail. They added that they feel fortunate to have been able to keep many employees in their positions and are now hoping that the federal government “will step up to the situation and support companies like ours through this unprecedented time.” New York-based boutique agency Sequel, formerly Think PR, whose clients include W

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