Leslie Whittaker

Senior Lecturer and Course Director (BA (Hons) International Fashion PR and Communication Top-Up)

Leslie has been a PR and marketing professional in the fashion industry for over 25 years, before coming to teaching. She began her career as an independent retailer and streetwear designer in Toronto, Canada, where she founded the store Uncle Otis. The store featured pioneering brands such as Cross Colours, and became the exclusive retailer for Stussy. Leslie then moved to the UK to focus on PR and Communications, specialising in luxury accessories. She has worked in senior PR and Communications roles for brands such as Manolo Blahnik and Bally, at international PR agencies, and has also run her own PR and brand consulting agency since 2011.

Qualifications

BA (Hons) History and Anthropology, York University Canada (1991)
Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Coventry University (2021)
Currently completing MSc in Marketing

Professional and Industry Memberships

Leslie continues to consult on PR and marketing strategies for fashion brands, start-ups, PR agencies, editors and stylists. Her research interests include the changing role of PR within the fashion industry, the evolution of fashion retail, heritage vs. new trends, and museum exhibitions as brand communication tools, including the role of creativity within the business of fashion.

Research and Consultancy

Research includes:

Evolving role of PR for Fashion, both in house and agency
Current strategies both offline and digital, for brand management and creative brand management
The developing trends in social media and digital platforms for the future of brand communication
Experiential branding; evolution of consumer engagement in a digital world
Formal Museum fashion brand exhibitions and their role in brand storytelling, and strategic promotional campaigns.

Leslie Whittaker

Teaching Areas

Undergraduate (Level 6)

International Strategic Brand Marketing
Fashion Management and Operations
Internship and Dissertation Supervision
PR and Communication
Professional PR Practice
Copywriting for Fashion