Naija Fashionistas: Meet Arieta Mujay the PR Guru

In order to raise the consumer's awareness about a brand there needs to be a lot of hype created about it which makes people want to buy into it. This is the job of a PR who creates and mantains the image of a brand by communicating key messages to the customer. Enter Arieta Mujay who is the PR manager for River Island which is one of the top high street stores in the UK. As well as working with journalists so the fashion brand gets lots of coverage in the press, she is also responsible for getting outfits on the back of celebrities. I caught up with her to find out exactly what it is like being a fashion PR.

How did you get into the fashion industry?
By interning, assisting and working my butt off. Doing whatever I could do for little or no pay for the love of it.

What made you decide that fashion PR was for you?
I kinda feel into PR as I was a window dresser, stylist assistant before PR. I kinda loved the fact that I could work hard behind the scene and meet so many influential people at the same time.

Tell me what your job consists of.
Ensuring that River Island is at the forefront of most fashion conversations in the UK. Getting our product in the right magazines, TV shows and of course the right people.

How does the fashion scene in Nigeria compare to London?
The Nigerian fashion scene has come a long way but still has some way to go. The one thing I really love about the fashion scene in the UK is that it's established and you kinda have to make your own way through it as there have been many greats before you and many more to come. In Nigeria on the other hand, very few people actually know what they are talking about therefore there is the opportunity for growth and the chance to be an early adopter, opinion former. I mean Vivienne Westwood may not be calling on me anytime soon to style her collection but Deola Sagoe will. LOL

What sort of changes have you seen in the Nigerian fashion industry over the last few years?
A few designers have made the transistion from being "African designers" to International designers'. designers like Bunmi Koko, Lanre Da Silva and Jewel by Lisa are crossing the boundaries and making things happen. its an amazing time for the Nigerian fashion industry. Also, fashion journalists based back home like Veronica Ebie Odeka from this day actually know what they are talking about.

Describe a day in the life of Arieta Mujay.
Identifying all River Island coverage, meetings, strategise, update myself on all the fashion news, organise shoot for week ahead, gym, food, bed.

You can follow Arieta on Twitter.

Tomorrow I will be featuring Ijeoma Ndekwu who is a fashion blogger for Bella Naija.