Laura Merritt, Lauren Tate Merge to Form Merritt Tate
THE SOCIAL NETWORK: Over the past few years, London’s fashion PR network has become a bustling business that goes beyond just placing brands in the limelight, but rather training them to create content, strategize their sustainability initiatives and occupy a space on social media, as well as opening lifestyle and influencer divisions.
Laura Meritt is taking her business to the next level by partnering with Lauren Tate to form Merritt Tate, a fashion PR consultancy specializing in traditional PR, events, influencer and brand partnerships.
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Merritt and Tate met nine years ago at fashion PR agency ModusBPCM, where Merritt was a senior account executive and Tate worked in the showroom as a collections coordinator, but the real working relationship between the two women started when they were promoted to account manager and senior account executive, respectively.
They worked on accounts such as Bally and Calvin Klein during their 18-month stint together before moving onto new ventures.
Merritt climbed the ladders to become account director at ModusBPCM, working on Hobbs, Sergio Rossi, Carolina Herrera and all divisions of Calvin Klein. Meanwhile, Tate moved to Karla Otto, spending five years with the agency, eventually becoming senior account manager on accounts such as Cecilie Bahnsen, Rimowa, Halpern and Atelier Swarovski before leaving for the role of account director at L52 Communications, where she looked after Loro Piana, Mowalola, Khaite and The Standard Ibiza.
When Merritt quit her job in July 2019, she wasn’t anticipating going back into business again so quickly.
A month after, personal shopper and stylist Bettina Looney reached out to her to organize an event and then jewelry brand Daphine did the same.
“When I was interviewing with other agencies, it all just felt like the same role, but kind of in a different place, which obviously, was an amazing role. I loved what I did, I loved my clients, but I was just ready for a change,” said Meritt, who ended up organically working for herself with no team.
She would take on freelance projects with other agencies, but as the word of mouth grew with more brands approaching her through friends that she had made in the industry, she thought about getting more serious, which is around the time that Tate was leaving her job to take a pause from the industry by visiting her brother in Australia for a whole month.
When Tate came back from her trip, Merritt was in search of somebody to cover for her while she went away for a family vacation to the South Pacific, from Fiji to Tahiti.
The two continued to work together for a year.
“It just came to a point where I didn’t really want to do it on my own anymore. It’s really good to have someone who is like a partner and who can share the load and bounce ideas off of,” Merritt said about partnering with Tate.
“What’s nice as well is that we’re friends, so you can say anything and have a very open, honest conversation,” Tate added.
Merritt Tate’s client list now includes Daphine, Peachy Den, Pruzan, The Fall Bride, Form and Fold, TBalance Crystals, Sandqvist, Wild at Heart and Daisy Jewellery.
“I didn’t ever want it to be my name anymore and I kind of never wanted it to be my name, but obviously with PR, so much of it is about your name,” said Merritt, explaining that it was a mutual friend who suggested the consultancy’s new name.
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