Coincidently we met with Liane Seitz of The Fashion Squad, a ‘cross-over-agency’ for brand lobbying within the fashion industry, when we were looking at the event ‘Vienna Fashion Night‘ and talked to her. We found this platform very interesting, hence we discussed some interesting new projects and also offered her the opportunity to introduce herself and The Fashion Squad on our blog.
Enjoy a ‘life full of fashion’ … or could one say ‘shoes’??

1) Please describe yourself in just 5 words.
LIANE AND THE FASHION SQUAD

2) Tell us a bit about the initiative TFS, what it stands for, what it means, when it started and what it is all about.
The Fashion Squad was founded actually as a result of several coincidences. Or let´s say: fate was our guide. As a creative freelance and independent fashion editor I was hired by HUMANIC in order to write a shoemanic blog. Although it is a corporate blog, the main spirit of a ‘shoeaddict’ like me, gave me a lot of independence, which is one of the main USP’s of a blog. Through this work I was always behind crazy shoes and stories. In London I met Sarah Toner an Ex Prima ballerina, who is teaching High Heels Classes. Her Book “Fabulous in High heels” was about to be released. Back in Vienna Martin Böhm, owner of Mg-Sound and Hitsquad offered me to publish the book in Austria and Germany. So we started to work in a team and created a big buzz around the book release followed by high heel classes.
www.fabinhighheels.com
So we found out, that we did great PR as side effect for HUMANIC, who sponsored this project. So as a result of this, HUMANIC asked us to take over the PR. And suddenly we found ourselves taking over the PR budget of a big international shoe brand. THE FASHION SQUAD was founded October 2011. We see THE FASHION SQUAD as taskforce behind the glamorous Fashion and Lifestyle Scene.

3) What are the plans of TFS in terms of “transporting Fashion”?
We see The Fashion Squad as Cross-Over-Agency, far beyond PR-Services. Brand Lobbying is one of our main services, which means we can only work for a label/brand/person, which or who we really can identify with. We work also as ambassadors for our clients and put all our private connections into our work. Fashion is in our blood, so anything connected to fashion touches us, further I have a long fashion-journalistic background ( ATV/ORF/ ORF NÖ/ WOMAN/ÖTZ etc.)

4) Why and what are the aims of your blog?
The blog shoemanic.com is a corporate blog, but has got a very unique reputation, which I mentioned also above. So anything I write is very personal and not at all corporate in a negative sense.

5) Your favourite blogs:
Some of my favourite blogs:
www.ashadedviewonfashion.com
seaofshoes.typepad.com
www.garancedore.fr/en
diaryofafashionmister.blogspot.com
www..fashionfreax.net
Of course all other fashion Blogs and shoe sites, but one I do follow constantly. tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com
And I am completely fan of Bill Cunningham´s Slideshow: video.nytimes.com

6) What is your personal opinion about exploring a blog?
A blog is a very personal, non-objective way to transport messages about certain topics. But despite this fact, the best blogs are on an journalistic basics, which means a blog post should be the perfect mix between personal opinion and a good research and also balancing objective circumstances. A bit “oxymoron”, but for me a blog is best, when you don’t abuse the power in writing anything you want, because of course one has responsibility, because could affect people’s mind and change it.

7) Your favourite designers:
I love Jean Paul Gaultier, Stella Mc Cartney, Phillip Lim, Alber Elbaz (Lanvin), Susanne Bisovsky (Austrian) and many more …

8) What are the future plans for TFS?
We are intending to work internationally and are really happy to collaborate with other fashion agencies and platforms. The fusion of Music and Fashion is also one of our long term visions and projects and as we are connected to “Mg Sound Studios” and “Hit Squad” (Partners of TFS) we are full of ‘eventainment ideas’, ready to put in practice.

9) One of our long term visions is, to establish Vienna as Fashion Capital, seen as the place for an international exchange of anything which is connected to fashion.