Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Eslami-Cajigas.
Hi Olivia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m the Owner of OEC Consulting, a Miami based international Public Relations company, specializing in the Fashion, Design, Lifestyle & Sports markets. As a Biology & Art History major I had never imagined I would be doing what I do. However, shortly after college I received an opportunity to work at Vogue’s online website (it was called Style.com at the time). I worked as an assistant to the Creative Consultant to the magazine and that’s where I learned to “run in heels” (a phrase I currently use to brand projects produced by my company, OEC Consulting). I was introduced to all aspects of fashion as well as the hustle that goes into producing content for the best creative minds. I had a chance to experience not only the in’s and out’s of the magazine but what it takes to creatively contribute to product development for brands such as Tod’s and jeweler Asprey of London. I was an assistant to the producer of the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards as well as one to the curator of the Manolo Blahnik Retrospective at Philips of New York. My boss wore many (glamorous) hats and so did I. However, more than the glamorous hat I wore, this was my bootcamp where I learned to work hard, thoroughly and consistently delivering a myriad of services (all while looking one step ahead of the trends). After this opportunity, I realized how I loved helping brands define and deliver their messages.
I started my PR journey as I accepted a position in the PR offices of the fashion house Escada. After handling all regional and national press as well as celebrity dressing initiatives for Escada, I moved to the House of Valentino, where I had always dreamed of further developing my PR skills. And that I did!- managing regional and national press as well as working with the editors at the fashion shows in Paris. I was exposed to another layer of brand imaging and development for the best of best! After a couple of years I then moved to Miami (where I currently reside) and craved working for a fashion house. OEC Consulting was then born and one of my first (and fondest) clients was The Bal Harbour Shops. I worked closely with the Dr of Marketing for the Shops as a Sittings Editor for the magazine. Since then, I have been blessed to work with a myriad of brands, both big and small, to help shape their brand’s story with the goal of increasing awareness and customers.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When I started working for Vogue, I remember making a handful of mistakes daily for what seemed like an eternity. While I wasn’t making such dramatic mistakes like breaking fax machines (remember those?), I realized I wasn’t “dialed in” to the details of the job that my boss expected me to have at the age of 22. I remember those days vividly and how I made some small adjustments that made a huge difference then and continue to do so today. Among them included arriving 15min earlier than my bosses to meetings, creating a plan B AND C to any plan as a safeguard and using my athletic abilities to literally run when needed.
When I moved to Miami, I had the challenge of finding an outlet for using the skills I had developed while working at various luxury fashion houses. This is when OEC Consulting was born. Shortly after, I became a mom and juggling work with kids as well as taking a break to raise three kids. Getting back to work in a competitive industry was/is challenging and a balancing act. I’m sure any mom reading this would agree. However, I believe the million and one activities and duties that we have to oversee as moms provide us with that added training needed to tackle more at work, think outside the box and connect more with clients. I now see the roadblocks I have experienced as green lights in disguise (even though I didn’t feel that at the time).
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
OEC Consulting is a Miami-based international consulting company that provides a concierge in-house approach to sustainably growing your business from the inside out. We partner with our clients from start to finish, focusing on their needs while producing new ideas, editing and developing effective strategies and products, and designing high-quality and sustainable solutions with the goal of increasing exposure and revenue for their brand. Among the services, we deliver include media coverage, both regional and national, digital and print, for your brand. We collaborate with a team of photographers, stylists and models to serve as Creative Directors who deliver content that illustrates your brand’s vision. We create logos, press releases, social media content, blog editing and copywriting to manage your branding needs. We also offer full-service fashion styling for photoshoots, magazines and event dressing. We started #runninginheels at Vogue and Valentino and continue delivering that level of service for our clients today.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
We’ve been blessed to be able to work remotely during the pandemic. That being said, we have become more digital in an ever digital world. This has forced us to work on skills that not only produce an amazing product/results for our clients but one whose use is multifunctional and can be used across many forums. Sometimes rather than creating a new result using new products we have reworked or “repackaged” existing materials and retold their story from another angle. In short, we have become more creative with less resources. We have also learned to appreciate time. We realize that tomorrow is not promised so we are very grateful that we get to do what we do and engage with our clients and projects the way we do.
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.oec-consulting.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/oec_consulting
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/runninginheelspr
Image Credits
Sheila Ringel Photography
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