The Future of Fashion Journalism: Q&A with CSM MA Fashion Communications Graduates
By Desislava Todorova
Fashion is in crisis. As a matter of fact, so is the whole world. We’re all struggling with the pandemic in our own ways, but isn't fashion the last thing we should be needing right now? Hearing these words from the mouth of a fashion journalist could be perceived as harsh and a little surprising, but they reflect a reality which is taking its toll on an entire industry.
Lockdown caused havoc in fashion publishing which has seen its ideological ups and downs over the past few years. However, the Covid-19 pandemic gave a whole new meaning to the term “chaos”. Editorials produced by models at home, heartwarming messages of community support and hope have been shared, repeated and re-shared over and over again. Yes, the community did come together and showed incredible resilience but it seems that British naturalist Charles Darwin’s wisdom will prevail at the end of the day: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one most adaptable to change.”
The big titles will pull through with renegotiated advertorials, job cuts and restructuring on the horizon, especially with the dreaded end of the furlough scheme on the 31st October. Despite the strong communal “we shall prevail” attitude, there’s an ominous feeling in the air which breeds anxiety and disillusionment.
While fashion designers are at the forefront of the battle for survival, the struggle is as equally big for creatives from all other corners of the fashion industry spectrum. One such corner is fashion journalism. Being a fashion journalist myself, I found the past 6 months really hard to cope with morally. The lockdown blues inevitably made me completely disenchanted with the idea of glamorising fashion and aesthetical escapism as survival mechanisms. It didn’t work for me, and instead, it made me more cynical about the consequences of the industry, of the negative connotations which come with fashion and what my personal contribution has been.
Radical criticism became my best friend and I switched sides for once and “opened my eyes” which ironically took a global pandemic to happen: Was being a fashion journalist not relevant anymore? I mean, how many DIY campaigns could one bear scrolling through? How many charity advertorials could one be inspired by? How many Instagram lives with “creatives at home” do we really need? Was it time to reevaluate the purpose of fashion journalists and is there any need for them since all brands have redirected the remainder of their already exhausted budgets to influencer-generated content? How much of this content do we actually need? Is there space for fashion criticism when there’s a lethal virus raging out there?
After spiralling in and out of this existential and professional crisis I decided to go back to the source. I went to my alma mater Central Saint Martins and initiated a dialogue with the next generation of trained professional fashion writers at the MA Fashion Communication: Fashion Journalism course. Here’s what they shared with me:
Lisa Zirngast
The pandemic forced Lisa to leave the UK and go back to her home country Austria. During the four months that she spent at home, she felt herself drifting away from fashion. “Issues connected to the pandemic overshadowed everything, and all sorts of fashion news – and there weren’t many – seemed trivial and irrelevant to me. For example, Dior launched their collaboration with AirJordans and I couldn’t have cared less, to be honest.”
Her usual excitement for and interest in fashion as well as the urge to write about it had faded. “As a fashion journalist, I did question if, how and when I would be able to work in this industry in the way I imagined it pre-pandemic. Obviously, that made me worry especially considering all the news of magazines laying off staff and companies downsizing. I have always been well aware that fashion journalism is not the steadiest industry to work in, but the pandemic really pushed it to another level.” Nowadays, being back in London and returning to class, everything seems to be getting back into place and amidst all the challenges, she determined to continue working in both fashion and journalism.
Has it made you more sceptical or, on the contrary, more hopeful for the future?
I would lie if I said that I have been optimistic all throughout the past months. However, I do believe that fashion is ultimately driven by change. The pandemic affected the world on so many levels and the only way to move forward is by making changes and finding solutions to never before seen problems. Issues such as inequality of all kinds or sustainability have been present for a while and I think that the pandemic highlighted them even more, which is a good thing. As much as we associate fashion with glamour and fantasy, it is a business that has to be sustained (unfortunately, often in unethical ways). This global health crisis may have brought many underlying issues of the industry up, but things have to surface to be dealt with instead of hidden behind glossy pages and luxury items. Generally, I am hopeful for the future. There have been changes in leadership positions at renowned publications and the younger generations seem to be rising towards the top, enthusiastic and willed to reform.
In what respect have your professional plans changed? What’s your next step?
Fortunately, I have never had any concrete plans because I always knew that working in fashion journalism involves a lot of luck and being at the right place at the right time. During our second term, our course leader Roger Tredre broadened our focus and we started writing more lifestyle journalism pieces. There has never been an abundance of jobs and now, it looks even more grim. Gaining some writing experience outside of fashion will definitely prove useful when applying for jobs. Regarding my next steps, I definitely want to stay connected to the magazine I have freelanced for before and maintain a good relationship. Besides graduating from Central Saint Martins later this year, I will keep my eyes open for any job offers popping up and sending out applications. It’s not the time to be picky.
What do you think is the role of a fashion journalist in a time of global environmental and health crisis?
I think it is a very difficult time for fashion journalism. Some magazines seem to struggle with marrying fashion and conveying a meaningful, contemporary message. The world is battling a pandemic, people are experiencing health issues, financial problems, loss and much more. During such times, it isn’t easy to find the right balance between addressing the state of the world and trying to provide some kind of relief in the form of written or visual content. The role of a fashion journalist during difficult times is to provide readers with fact-checked information and, if possible, some relief and entertainment. One has to be cautious and sensitive in their writing, making sure not to disregard the crisis and just focus on fashion. It’s just not only about fashion anymore, people want to see behind the facade. Personally, I see myself somehow as a mediator, bringing fashion closer to people, making it accessible and putting it appropriately into context.
Chiara Di Bernardini
The pandemic made Chiara put things in perspective. She shares that fashion in general started to feel like a world relatively detached from reality. So, even if her appreciation for the industry stayed, seeing many publications carry on with their original schedule, she inevitably felt as if magazines were ignoring the actual state of things, especially at the beginning of the crisis. “The escapism provided by fashion is what made me fall in love with the industry, however, covering the world in glitter won’t make problems fade away.”
How do you feel about the future?
Sceptical and hopeful. It made me put things into perspective and helped me sort out my priorities. The global crisis made me more sceptical since many people from the industry have proved to be tone deaf and completely detached from reality. However, I also feel hopeful for the future because I believe this crisis will help shake things to the core and hopefully encourage new ways of working.
What’s next for you?
My main goal at the moment is to find a job that will give me any form of stability. It will be in fashion for sure, but I’m not confining my career development to fashion journalism anymore. Working for a publication would be a dream but this health crisis also made things much harder and the job market even more competitive, so right now I’d be willing to accept any job, as long as it’s in fashion and it’s something I enjoy.
How about the future of fashion journalism?
I think that we often forget that fashion journalists in the first place are journalists. So, they should be part of the conversation even if it’s not strictly related to fashion. Fashion is such a big industry that anything can be linked to it, so I think that seeing fashion journalists engage in more “serious” topic would give more credit both to the journalists and the industry, finally moving forward to a fashion industry not labelled anymore as “vapid”.
Hilda Kosunen
The pandemic taught Hilda to slow down and concentrate on improving herself in ways she probably would have never had time to otherwise. “Fashion journalism has never been completely objective, and we have to accept it never will be. But its importance has not decreased – I feel this is the moment we can change the stereotypes of it being shallow and empty.”
What do you think about the future?
I am a positive person at heart, so I believe in every challenge lies the opportunity to grow and learn. The job market in general has been rather in a flux for a decade so the current situation has just forced us not to actually look outside of the box but burn it all together. Rather than being scared of the future I believe the pandemic has forced companies, publications and writers to weight their voice and place in the industry and make it matter. And that is what makes me hopeful – a dialogue.
How about career wise - have your plans changed?
In a short term yes, but in a long-term no. Some of my plans got cancelled but I like to think they are just postponed and now the world should sit patient and stick together to find solutions rather than everyone racing around aimlessly. I am not a patient person, but now we just have to trust the process.
My next step is to graduate – we were lucky that we were still in school in that sense, because looking for a full-time job at the dawn of the outbreak would’ve been very hard. I believe too much planning ruins the journey – I know where I am heading and where I want to end up now, I just have to build the foundation.
What would be your role as a journalist?
I would love to say we have the voice to make a change and, in some sense, we do – the more I learned about fashion industry the more anxiety it created but the change can only be done from the inside.
However, let us not forget the beauty and joy it can also create, we are storytellers and can bring joy to dark times – or report the stories for the next gens so they can learn from our mistakes.
Ellie June Goodman
In the beginning go the pandemic, Ellie felt very disheartened. She took on her Masters as she believed it would help her to get ahead in the jobs market, but all of a sudden that market disappeared. “It was very bleak at first, but then I started to think about ways that fashion journalism can still be relevant. There will almost always be companies producing clothes, making fashion, therefore there will always be a need for someone to write about it, for whatever audience that may be. Yes, we may need fashion journalists less than before, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need them at all”.
The pandemic has also reinforced the notion that she already had that fashion journalism – all journalism in general, really – should be saying something of note, thinking and speaking critically and holding big companies, governments and powerful industry players to account.
Has that made you sceptical about what the future holds?
It definitely has made me more sceptical when it comes to the more traditional routes into the industry. These will always be hard to get as it is very competitive. However, it has made me think creatively about different ways to share my point of view and break into the industry on my own terms. I’m very hopeful that the industry is turning to young people for their new perspectives, and for that reason, there will always be work for young creatives and journalists.
How about your professional plans?
In January, my plan was to find a position at a publication once I had finished my MA and then work my way up, through the traditional hierarchy of fashion journalism. Now, I am looking at starting my own projects in order to get my writing out there; I am starting up my own platform dedicated to eschewing any ideas of fashion as vapid and superficial, by taking a deeper look into the inspirations behind collections, campaigns and events, as well as looking at contextual historical fashion moments. In addition, I am starting a podcast with two of my classmates to talk about fashion in a way we feel is missing from the industry at present. My next step is to get these up and running as best as possible to be able to show them as a portfolio or to eventually earn money from them. It seems now that the best way to share your opinion is to share it yourself, not go through another platform.
Has your understanding of fashion journalism changed?
To report fashion news in a way that is contextually relevant to the global environmental and health crisis – including reporting on human rights infringements in the production process, the massive environmental impact that fashion has and the ways in which fashion can relate to Covid-19 I think we need to look at more sustainable, good for the planet brands and promote these as much as possible. We need to call out large luxury houses for their shortcomings and hold them to account and we need to make sure people of colour and from working class or disadvantaged backgrounds have a voice in the industry and are well respected and valued.
Zoel Hernández Lopez
Zoel shares that the pandemic has opened his eyes to new issues. He was already interested in social and environmental issues, but he had never had the motivation to be actively involved in any of those. Now, he constantly read about these issues and has also been thinking of related articles to write. “I don’t think fashion journalists should only talk about fashionable clothes anymore, since fashion should now incorporate other things society are concerned about – the pandemic itself, BLM movement and climate change”.
Has that changed your perception of the future?
I am very sceptical about the future, since I feel there is a lot to change and not much time to do so. But that doesn’t mean I am not hopeful at the same time. Especially during this health crisis, I think we have all realised how many issues our society has. We are a bit more awake, and that’s a great first step. I can only hope we can sort everything out quickly enough.
What are you planning to do next?
I still want to be a fashion journalist and write for magazines, so this has not really changed. However, I am also very interested in social media. What I care about is sharing new information and ideas with people – that’s why I like being a journalist. And now, considering the time we spend on Instagram, Twitter or even on TikTok, I think social media is probably the best platform to do so. My next step would probably be working as a social media editor for a fashion publication.
How do you see your professional role from now on?
A fashion journalist should have two different roles. It is important that environmental and health issues are addressed so that people can move forward. Us, fashion journalists, should be the ones spreading the message by incorporating in fashion. But I also think we should entertain people and provide a form of escapism. During lockdown, it was hard not to think about everything that was going on and I constantly felt the urge to check how the crisis was evolving. Even though it is good to be informed, we need to take a break from time to time to keep our minds healthy. And that’s where fashion can help. Reading about a beautiful dress or the new trends can ease the pressure that we have to handle, like when you are reading a novel and you forget about everything that you had to do during that day.
Shriya Zamindar
The pandemic made Shriya rethink her career options. SheI thinks it set the fashion industry back a few years when there weren’t niche job labels such as a fashion journalist. “To get into the industry you had to do odd jobs and take on other roles, as long as you got to be part of the fashion scene it was sufficient. Considering the amount of job openings today, it is not enough to be just a fashion journalist, you should be able to offer a diverse skill set in order to secure a good job”. On the other hand, the pandemic has left little space for writing about fashion as an appropriate subject without addressing the pandemic.
How do you feel about the future of your career?
I am sceptical about how long it will take for me to fulfil my career ambitions. I do not know whether my line of work is going to be sustainable for me at this point in time. The job opportunities in the current landscape are very scarce so the priority is not finding the right job for me but just finding one.
What would your next steps be?
I am mentally preparing myself for the possibility that getting a job where I can flex my journalistic muscles may not be on the cards. Perhaps I would have to look at commercial options that might not be satisfying but will pay the bills.
How do you see yourself as a journalist in a post-pandemic future?
As a fashion journalist, it has never been more important than now to deliver news that is contributing in some way to the issues at hand. Talking about irrelevant subjects during this time will negatively impact the view society has of the fashion industry.
Léana Esch
Léana is not sure if the pandemic has changed my outlook, but it has definitely made her aware of the broader issues and subjects we need to tackle and incorporate in our work. It has also made her aware of the fragility of the industry and how much it can change overnight, whether it be the subject matters raised, the way of working or the role we play as journalists.
How would you describe your feelings about the future?
I think it is a mix of both anxiety and hope. I am honestly anxious at the idea of not finding a job after the MA because of the situation. In this regard, it has made me very skeptical on the possible future opportunities I will have, but at the same time, I still have hope. I am a very optimistic person and believe in the fact that if we do a great job and our best to develop our skills, opportunities will arise. So, I would say I’m more hopeful than skeptical about the future, even if these difficult times make us question the possibility of a positive outcome.
What are your plans professionally?
My professional plans are still the exact same they were before the pandemic. I will still be looking for a job after the MA and hope to find one as soon as possible. Though, as a journalist, I realised that the biggest shift for me has been to enjoy being published online. I used to think that print was the only valuable means to get published, but the pandemic has changed my perspective. I think it has showed to all of us that digital platforms are a fantastic source of news, that is read by a tremendous amount of people. So, I will not be disappointed in being published only online in the future, because the pandemic has proved the significance of digital media.
What do you think should fashion journalism look like in the future?
Even if it might be a bit controversial, I think the role of a fashion journalist should stay the same. I know broader issues are important to tackle, but better qualified people are here to do that. Of course, a fashion journalist can talk about societal and global issues, but it should always remain through a fashion perspective and the fashion angle should prevail. I am not fond of fashion magazines that tend to become societal and political, because I buy a fashion magazine to read stories on fashion; I would buy another paper if I wanted to read about the current situation. I truly believe that fashion journalism should focus on its specialty and provide readers with what they want to see in a fashion magazine: Fashion content.
Sophia Mozzali
The pandemic made Sophia rethink everything. She feels many things will be different, involving the fashion field as well. “People in this sector knew, even before March, that fashion industry was changing, so the pandemic only sped things up.”
How do you feel about the future?
I'm sceptical because in this way I won't be let down if things I've planned won't work. However, for nature I'm optimistic, so I'm sure this sector will keep going on, and only main events (that are key, yet) will be more reserved or on appointments only. While for desk jobs, I think more remote and freelance positions will be offered.
What would be your next step after graduation?
I've kept an open-mind because I was already torn between two careers (journalism and PR) and then I realised that maybe this industry doesn't need another fashion journalist…
As a consequence, I'm still looking to work in communication (as a journalist, PR or social media); however, I'm looking even outside the fashion industry, even if it is the only thing I know about.
How do you see your position in the future of the industry?
My opinion is very unpopular, but I think fashion journalists and magazines should keep continuing their work. They have to be respectful obviously, but definitely, they don't have to listen to the people who posted during lockdown defining journalists and magazines insensitive only because they were publishing "fashion stories".
First of all, if they don't work a significant part of the industry will die, and many people will be left jobless. Second thanks to the publications I used to have a second of normality where I was dreaming what to wear for the various occasions that I would have after everyday life would be given back, and I'm sure many other people thought/think the same.