Madeline in Prague

I aspire to work in fashion and lifestyle PR. Before this summer, my “why” was simple: I gravitated toward the creativity of fashion and wanted to be part of a brand’s storytelling process. Fashion has always been one of the ways I express myself, and the brands I admire have played a role in shaping that. Because of this, fashion PR always felt like the perfect combination of my personal interests and professional goals.

It had been a longtime dream of mine to gain experience in fashion PR. I wanted to see whether it was anything like I had imagined, thanks in part to a few too many early-2000s rom-coms. However, as The Devil Wears Prada 2 points out, the fashion communications industry has changed a lot since 2006. By interning with Friendly Friends this summer, I was able to gain not only a global perspective on the fashion industry but also a much better understanding of what working in fashion and lifestyle PR actually looks like.

One of the biggest surprises was how much of my work centered around event planning, influencer marketing, and reporting. I was fortunate enough to see events at nearly every stage of the process. Sometimes I researched venues that aligned with an event concept, and other times I helped set up the event itself and watched everything unfold in real time. It was fascinating to realize just how much work goes into planning an event that might only last four hours. Then, once it’s over, the work isn’t actually finished. The next step is reporting.

I had learned about campaign reporting in my PR classes, but seeing it happen after a real event made the process much more tangible. I often gathered influencer metrics, tracking engagement and reach to help communicate the success of a campaign. It was rewarding to see how data supports the creative work behind an event.

One of the biggest lessons I took away is that PR – regardless of the industry – is ultimately about reputation management. That responsibility never really stops. Thanks to social media, consumers can constantly check in on what their favorite brands are doing, and it was eye-opening to see how that plays out in the Czech and Slovak markets. Like the United States, there is a strong focus on reaching Gen Z audiences. I enjoyed following Czech influencers and noticed that, while their content often felt familiar, trends arrived at different times and sometimes looked a little different. It reminded me that effective communication often follows the same principles, even when cultures and languages differ.

Something I really love about PR is that every day is different. There is simply no excuse to be bored when every project brings a new challenge.

One week I was selecting pieces from a client’s collection to feature in the showroom dedicated to that client, which was easily one of my favorite tasks because I could be fashionably creative. The next, I sat down with the agency owner and a PR specialist to discuss fashion and lifestyle communications and how the agency navigates client relationships. I reorganized showrooms so they were stylist-ready, researched influencers to curate personalized seedings, and prepared products to be sent to creators. Every day looked different, and that variety only reinforced how much I enjoy this field.

Before this internship, I had no idea an influencer seeding was essentially a PR package. Now, I have experience helping design and assemble them. I learned just how much strategy goes into creating a package that feels unique while still reflecting a brand’s campaign and identity. It’s about more than just putting products in a box. It’s about creating an experience that represents the brand before the influencer even opens it.

I also sharpened my design skills by adapting English brand fact sheets into Czech and Slovak versions. While I still can’t understand Czech beyond greetings and a few transition words like tak, I found it fascinating to see how different languages affect design layouts. Even when the visual identity stays the same, language changes the way information fits on a page. It was a reminder that design is just as much about communication as it is about aesthetics.

I felt like I really thrived in this creative environment. In fact, the moment it really clicked that I do want to work in fashion PR – and that the job kind of does feel like the movies – was during one of our client’s events at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival (KVFF). I was working in the showroom, doing the very glamorous task of zipping up red-carpet dresses. As I stood there, I thought about everything the agency had done to prepare for the event. Earlier, I had sat down with the team as they walked me through the logistics and planning behind it all. Watching everything come together, I had a simple thought: Yes. This is what I love. The intersection of fashion and culture? That’s exactly where I want to be.

One of my last tasks during the internship was reporting on the media coverage from that same event. It was incredibly rewarding to see publications I had admired writing about the event and our client. It felt like the perfect full-circle moment.

Every day I was excited to contribute to campaigns for beauty and fashion brands that I genuinely admired. Now that I’ve worked behind the scenes on campaigns and influencer seedings, I find myself paying much closer attention to the brands I follow back home. When I see an influencer unboxing a PR package now, I’ll think about the creatives who developed the concept – and probably the interns who carefully packed every item inside.

This internship also gave me confidence in how I describe my own experience. During the professional development seminar that accompanied my internship, I learned the importance of communicating your “hook” – the experience or quality that makes you memorable – instead of trying to tell your entire life story. I realized I could describe my journey like this: I have local agency experience from my internship at McNeely Brockman PR in Nashville, leadership agency experience as the Agency Director of The Orange Room at the University of Tennessee, and now global experience in fashion and lifestyle PR with Friendly Friends in Prague, Czech Republic. That’s a combination I never imagined having this early in my career, and it makes me excited about what’s next.

Beyond the professional experience, I learned how to adapt to a new work culture. While the Czech PR industry shared similarities with the United States, such as long workdays and quick lunch breaks, I quickly noticed differences in communication. Czech culture values directness. Feedback was simple, and sometimes there wasn’t much of it at all. Critiques were straightforward. In the United States, we often say, “You did great, but…” In Prague, they simply say, “Can you change this sentence?” There was no sugarcoating, just clarity. At first, it took some adjusting, but I came to appreciate how efficient and objective that communication style could be.

I also noticed my relationships with my coworkers naturally evolved over time. From the beginning, everyone was kind, but conversations tended to stay brief. As the internship progressed, though, we had thoughtful conversations about American culture – my coworkers were particularly amused by the concept of SEC Greek life and baffled by the size of Neyland Stadium – and I learned more about Czech culture in return.

I came to understand that Czechs often take longer to warm up to people, which also explains the lack of smiling at strangers. Watching my coworkers gradually become more open and conversational was genuinely heartwarming. It made me realize that, in American culture, we’re often used to rapid-fire introductions that can sometimes feel surface-level. The Czech approach felt rooted in authenticity, and I grew to appreciate that.

All that to say, I will always keep smiling!

Outside of the office, I found myself connecting with Prague just as much as I connected with my internship. I spent many weekends wandering through neighborhoods, stumbling upon cozy cafés and vintage shops (no surprise there). I fell in love with the architecture and often felt like I was walking through a storybook. Those weekends helped me realize that studying or working abroad is about learning to navigate unfamiliar places, embracing different cultures, and finding pieces of yourself along the way. They told us on the first day to “get lost in Prague.” Looking back, I’m glad I did.

My experience in Prague was both transformative and reassuring. It confirmed that I do want to pursue a career in fashion and lifestyle PR, but it also expanded my perspective on what that career could look like. My supervisor gave me one piece of advice that has stayed with me: don’t become so focused on your dream that you overlook unexpected opportunities. While I still see fashion PR in my future, I’ve learned to never say never. Sometimes the opportunities you never planned for are simply different paths leading you exactly where you’re meant to be. A year ago, I had no idea that interning in Prague was even a possibility. Now, I can’t help but wonder what opportunity I’ll never see coming next.

Ahoj Friends!