Tickled pink with UK choice
by Katrina Kalleske
She may be a small town South Australian girl but Kalli Marshall, 25, is now living it up big in the whirl of London’s fashion industry.
With a UniSA degree in Media, Communications and Culture, Marshall had an ambition to build a career in fashion public relations and knew that London was the place to fulfil that dream.
Coordinating a recent photo shoot with movie star Keira Knightly for the Tickled Pink campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer, Marshall says Stella McCartney dropped in to say hello to her sister, Mary McCartney, who happened to be the photographer. It could only be London.
Marshall says the Tickled Pink campaign has been one of her favourite projects to work on during her time with Lee Publicity. Well known for its lucrative fashion clients and reputation, Marshall turned down two other jobs in her determination to work for the London-based company.
"It’s a hard industry to get into - persistence is key," she says. "So many girls dream of working in fashion, but the reality is, it’s highly competitive, demands gruelling hours and is fiercely results driven.
"I decided that to give myself an edge in securing a well-paid job in Australia, I’d work first in London to help me move up the ladder later.
"Working in the UK, I have been exposed to some of the best designers, fashion houses and fashion journalists which in my industry is always exciting. There’s nowhere else in the world that does fashion like London.
"The UK is also so close to some amazing countries so travel is convenient and relatively cheap."
Marshall grew up in the small South East town of Rendelsham (near Millicent and Mount Gambier) and still calls South Australia home. But for now she is flat out working in London.
"Through launch season we can work 18-hour days and it’s exhausting but you’re always working towards something and the results are really rewarding," Marshall says.
"I enjoy the myriad of things that I am required to do and be good at in my job. One week I will be designing a "lookbook" (a fashion portfolio of sorts), the next week I will be organising a fashion shoot with a collaboration of designers, and the next I will be running a fashion event.
"I have had to learn and become proficient in so many new and varied skills."
Marshall, who graduated in 2007, says that there are many aspects of her UniSA education that help in her job now.
"University gives you confidence and a belief that you can achieve something," she says. "Going into your first job, it’s hard to know what to expect but university gives you the right tools to make the transition with ease.
"I am also surprised at how many skills you get taught that you don’t think will be necessary but they end up being integral.
"For example, my daily work routine requires me to be very proficient on a computer, producing PowerPoint presentations and designing web pages for clients. These are courses I struggled with at uni but they have helped immensely in my job."
Despite the enormous work load in the lead up to major fashion events for the 2009 Autumn Winter collections, Marshall is lapping up all the glamour and adrenalin surrounding the UK fashion PR scene.
And she has moved a long way from the country girl who first studied international business, but was not too sure where life would take her before turning her direction to PR.
After graduating and beginning work in events management, a chance to organise a fashion event once again gave Marshall a new direction.
"I have always loved clothes so I felt like it was a way to combine something I love with the skills I feel are my strongest," she says.
"I really enjoy ‘selling’ a news story to journalists. It requires creativity and it’s very challenging.
"I recently got one of my clients on the front cover of Elle, along with six pages of main fashion, with Kylie Minogue wearing the clothes. It’s a great buzz."