Freshman in Busch School Combines Fashion, Marketing, and Social Media To Promote American-Made Clothing

        Kiley Skeffington, freshman at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., uses her Instagram and style blog, Style By Kiley, to market the American made fashion and accessory company, Kiel James Patrick (KJP). Skeffington’s Instagram has over eight thousand followers.

         In one of her recent posts, Skeffington wore a striped navy blue long sleeved top tucked into an army green skirt. She also wore tan boat shoes designed by KJP. She also had picked out a pair of pearl earrings, a sterling silver starfish necklace, and a cream boat knot bracelet, all of which were designed by KJP.

          In the picture, Skeffington stood in front of a cart full of purple and yellow flowers along a sidewalk in downtown D.C. She posed for the picture with her right leg in front of her left and held her left arm with her right, in order to properly showcase the jewelry.

         Every picture and outfit must have a perfect composition. Everything is thoroughly thought through before posting it on Instagram or her blog. All of these things are part of Skeffington’s job working for KJP.

          During Skeffington’s junior year of high school, her parents required that she look around for an after school job. The first place that popped into her mind was Kiel James Patrick. She had been following the company’s Instagram page for a few years and had already owned many of their products.

          “The brand promotes the New England ‘preppy’ lifestyle. Their jewelry and clothing line have a nautical theme which is what initially attracted Kiley to their brand,” said Skeffington’s mother.

          Conveniently the KJP factory, where all of the company’s products are created and shipped from, is located in the Rhode Island town of Pawtucket, only 20 minutes from where Skeffington lives. One day after school, she brought a bracelet she needed repaired to the factory. Before leaving, she asked the employee if there were hiring. At the time—it was right before the holiday season—they hired Skeffington right away because they needed extra help around the factory.

         From that moment on, Skeffington worked hard packing boxes and sending out online orders. It wasn’t long before Kiel James Patrick himself asked her to join the marketing team.

        “Kiley fit right in from the first day. I knew she would be on the marketing team sooner than she may have even thought herself,” said one of Skeffington’s colleagues.

        Patrick took Skeffington and some of the company’s interns on weekend trips to Maine and Vermont to photograph products in different settings. As part of her job, Skeffington searched the web for photoshoot themes so that the photographers had an idea of what Patrick was looking for in the final result.

       After working closely with Patrick and the rest of the marketing team, Skeffington realized she had a passion for fashion. She was then inspired and decided to revamp her Instagram with pictures of her day-to-day outfits.

       “I don’t want my Instagram to look like everyone else’s,” Skeffington said. “I want people to get fashion and picture ideas from me like I had once done for the photoshoots. Seeing Kiel become so successful from marketing his company online inspired me to take my Instagram to the next level and market my own sense of style.” Skeffington plans on using what she learns in college as a marketing major to help further her career.