What really goes on behind the scenes. Industry experts share their knowledge.

Erika Bearman is the head of global PR for Oscar de la Renta who found herself a Twitter celebrity after she began tweeting as @OscarPRGirl in 2009. The account now has more than 200,000 followers. Recently in town to show off the label's resort 2014 collection, Bearman talks to us about social media as well as social niceties.

Did you ever expect the Twitter account to have such a huge following?
I'm a little shocked! It’s weird, it’s not something that I planned for. I think it’s a function of the platforms - social media is about people, and a person can be your connection to a brand. Like a tour guide. So yeah, it is surprising for me. The other day on the street there were two young people and they were screaming across the stoplight ‘Oscar PR Girl, we love you!’ And I just never thought that that would happen.

What is Oscar like?
He's the most incredible human being: not only a legendary designer, he is a world-class gentleman and he’s changed my life in a million ways. One of the best things about Oscar is that he loves life: every conversation, every moment, every coffee and it doesn’t matter if he’s talking to Henry Kissinger or the woman who cleans our office, he enjoys every second. That’s something that I try to keep with me.

How was it when John Galliano was working at the label?
Oscar won’t be mad at me for saying this, but I think it was really nice for him to have someone to collaborate with. He’s been a one-man show for 50 years and John is an incredible talent, so I think they very much enjoyed that sort of back and forth, that creative tension. It was a very short time, John was only with us for three weeks.

Do you have a Twitter strategy?
It’s evolved in many many ways. In the beginning I was very cautious to keep my tweets focused on Oscar and the brand, and then I sort of realised that as I revealed little bits about me and my life, people were really grabbing on to that content, and so that part of OscarPRGirl has gotten bigger. The part that is me.