If you thought working at a high-fashion magazine like in The Devil Wears Prada was amusing, make way for the ridiculous in Don’t Believe the Hype.
The debut novel by Natalie Lewis offers a glimpse inside the fast-paced, hectic and often absurd industry of fashion PR.
“The front row of a fashion show is always traumatic,” Lewis says.
All of the crazy situations that Marks finds herself in come from Lewis's experience or that of friends in the industry, she says.
“Yes, it can be like that … Your life is full of ridiculous scenarios.”
Having worked in the industry for more than 30 years, Lewis is well-equipped to write about a business many know little about. Malaysian designer Jimmy Choo, Belgian designer Diane von Fürstenberg and English designer Victoria Beckham are only a few of the fashion heavyweights Lewis has worked alongside.
Originally wanting to become a fashion journalist, Lewis says she always had a passion for writing. In 2020, she decided to take a sabbatical from the fashion world and take a writing course. That's when Don’t Believe the Hype began to take form.
Yet arriving at the final draft of the book took more than two years.
Lewis says the process of going through edit after edit was overwhelming and would make her want to cry.
“My only analogy [of publishing a book] … if you are in the middle of knitting a jumper and you literally got to the last stitch and you realise in the middle you’ve done one line wrong and you’ve got to unpick the whole thing and start again.”
While the process may feel like “it takes forever”, Lewis confirms she is already working on a second book. But this doesn’t mean she’ll be leaving the world of fashion PR anytime soon; she is still freelancing.
“Being a PR is … really interesting. You have to be very quick," Lewis says.
"And you’ve got to really want it. Live it. Breathe it. You’ve got to really enjoy it and like your clients,” she says.
“I just found there were so many different elements to it that satisfied so many things I always wanted to do … I never considered ever doing anything else. Until I started writing the book.”
Don’t Believe the Hype is available now as an ebook and audiobook, with a paperback due on July 11.