PR Consulting Shutters L.A. Office

A growing number of p.r. agencies have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis as fashion companies postpone shows and events and pull back on advertising.

PR Consulting, the public relations agency run by Pierre Rougier and Sylvie Picquet-Damesme, has made further cuts amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The agency, whose clients include Narciso Rodriguez, Dries Van Noten, Loewe, Acne, Gabriela Hearst, Raf Simons and Moncler, among others, has shuttered its Los Angeles office, WWD has learned.

Rougier confirmed in an e-mail that the company had closed the office, but did not comment further. It’s not known how many people worked at that location.

The L.A. office was opened in 2013, with Rougier telling WWD at the time that he had “been waiting for the right time and opportunity to open.”

“Los Angeles is definitely a world of its own, fascinating to our industry, and a stronger and stronger fashion scene,” he said.

But with the red carpet closed for the foreseeable future and no L.A. fashion shows on the horizon, business for many fashion-focused agencies in the city has dwindled in the past couple of months.

The closure of the L.A. office follows big changes at PR Consulting’s headquarters in New York. In late March, the company laid off 32 staffers in order “to keep the company running under the current circumstances.” PR Consulting also has an office in Paris.

A growing number of p.r. agencies have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis as fashion companies postpone shows and events and pull back on advertising, while glossy magazines put their planned shoots on ice.

Other p.r. firms that have had to cut staff due to the pandemic include Karla Otto, Krupp Group, Sequel (formerly Think PR), Bradbury Lewis, Linda Gaunt Communications and BPCM.

Spring agency has also closed its L.A. office, which was opened less than two years ago. It’s keeping its London locations but has reduced headcount.

“Agencies, we’re the canary in the coal mine for the industry and we’re all going to struggle,” Phillip Bodenham, founder and chief executive officer of Spring, told WWD last month.

For more, see:

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

Fashion P.R. Agencies Keep Culling Staff Amid Coronavirus Fallout

How Will the Coronavirus Impact Already Fragile Glossy Magazine Print Ads?