How to Become a Fashion Journalist in 2023?

Are you curious to know how to become a Fashion Journalist and the opportunities you will get? We’ve got you covered. Let’s dive right into it.

The transition toward digital media has been one of the reasons we see rapid growth in Online Fashion Journalism.

Fashion bloggers, activists, influencers, writers, and fashion journalists not only have got different platforms to speak their fashion opinions but there’s also a huge engagement shift in how the audience consumes fashion content as well.

Developed in the 18th century, fashion magazines replaced Fashion dolls and Cabinet des Modes was ultimately the first fashion magazine in the history of fashion journalism. 

It is quite safe to say that fashion journalism is here to stay and only grows in the future. If you’re wondering how to become a fashion journalist, we’ve got you covered!

Fashion professionals entering the industry make a valid reason why we need more fashion writers to cover stories that matter and bring change for the better.

If you’re still in a conflict where fashion journalism will be relevant, read how fashion communication is becoming a fast-growing degree to understand it better.

What Is Fashion Journalism?

Fashion Journalism is a process of researching, story-telling, and creating content around emerging influences, trends and styles, new faces, and sharing ideas and thoughts.

Fashion Journalists research or receive this data from fashion industry professionals like designers, stylists, photographers, editors, etc to find relatable and inspiring stories that can change lives.

It consists of in-depth knowledge of fashion history, and fashion evolution as a lot of fashion journalists cover day-to-day fashion events, runway shows, news, and critics.

Fashion Journalism consists of key fashion profiles that drive the industry forward. These profiles include fashion writers, photojournalists, PR, content managers, freelancers, editors, and stylists to name a few. Being a fashion journalist you can be any of them.

Read about the types of fashion writers can become after completing your course in fashion journalism.

What Does a Fashion Journalist Do?

Fashion is an ever-evolving industry that requires fashion journalists to stay updated with new collections, talk about trends, critic design trends and also foresee upcoming trends. This makes a scope for more and more fashion writers to enter the industry as there is always something new to tap on. 

Here are some of the key roles a fashion Journalist is responsible for:

• Analyze fashion culture, art, and history.
• Talk about trends, running styles, and forecasting future trends.
• Attend runway shows and make reports.
• Interview the industry insiders in fashion to bring new inspiring stories.
• When not researching, they network with designers, stylists, and other fashion professionals and attend fashion events.

How to Become a Fashion Journalist

Do you want to become a fashion journalist too? Here are some easy steps to get started.

1. Get a Certification
2. Apply for Internships
3. Build a Fashion Portfolio
4. Learn additional skills
5. Start Small & Humble

1. Get a Certification

Certification or getting enrolled in a course helps to set the right foundation for your knowledge. These courses help you explore the different domains of fashion journalism which you didn’t know and the skills to get them right.

You can try one of these fashion communication colleges to learn the needful.

2. Apply for Internships

Internships help you get hands-on experience in the profession. You can apply to different fashion publications, websites, and brands to get skills in various domains of fashion journalism.

You will also find other designations which might interest you later so be very attentive to the daily tasks that you’re given to help yourself level up.

3. Build a Fashion Portfolio

A Fashion Portfolio is a collection of your best works that you can submit to your employer when applying. While at school, training, or internship, you can list out the best work to get the dream job you want.

If you don’t have work experience to put your work, you can also become a fashion blogger and set up an online portfolio for readers and employers.

4. Learn Additional Skills

Fashion Journalism is not about writing only. Other subjects are equally achievable and that adds to journalism. Skills like copyediting, styling, photography, and conducting research also add different designations.

New-age journalism also needs additional skills to tap on. Read about the basics you should know as a modern fashion journalist to get a clear vision of the same.

5. Start Small & Humble

While you might be dreaming of working with the top fashion houses and magazines, it is a great idea to start small. Your first job at a similar but smaller publication or a website will help you learn more and have a detailed knowledge of various dynamics in the industry.

As you grow, you can always apply to bigger firms and better designations.

Anna Wintour, a successful Fashion Journalist breaks down how to become a better fashion journalist/critic.

Do you want to improve as a journalist? Exclusive video courses from editorial luminaries like Anna Wintour, Malcolm Gladwell, Bob Woodward, and more are available with the MasterClass Annual Membership.

What Experiences and Skills Do You Need to Become a Fashion Journalist?

To become a full-fledged fashion Journalist, these are a few skills you need to be well-versed with. You can always prefer to start with fashion internships to get hands-on experience on these skills to get hired by fashion brands later. 

These are the top 8 Fashion Journalism skills one must perfect before trying different online fashion writing jobs.

1. Reporting
2. Interviewing
3. Articles & Reports
4. Digital Journalism skills
5. Video Content
6. Social Media
7. Phone Journalism
8. Communication Skills

1. Reporting

Readers relate to content that is more transparent. This involves more transparency in the back-end process, working on the field or off-field but referring to data and statistics and curating well-versed content that satisfies them. Hence reporting includes a few of the mentioned skills:

• Identifying and observing the subjects
• Conducting multiple Researching processes
• curating the data for maximum optimization
• Evaluate and create the most relevant piece of information with it.

2. Interviewing

Interviewing involves a face-to-face conversation between industry insiders like Fashion designers, photographers, stylists, and retailers to get relevant stories on their collections and latest works mostly is involved in this category. Some of the skills include:

• Researching and networking with fashion industry insiders.
• Bringing new faces to the audience.
• Talk about the creative process and freedom.
• Engaging communication skills, and exploring different ideas is the key.

3. Articles & Reports

This includes one of the most traditional forms of fashion journalism, writing. Also popular as fashion content writing, this involves writing well-researched articles on online portals with facts and information. Fashion Blogging has a more casual and personal approach to writing blogs.

What you need to remember is:

• Short and clear articles
• Original content creation
• Bring creative topics to the table that are most relevant to what’s trending.

4. Online Journalism Skills

With traditional media shifting to going digital. There are a variety of other skills that add up to digital fashion writing. Some of these skills include:

• Shooting and editing videos
• Live streaming on various channels
• Curate data and make spreadsheets

5. Video Content

Video content is the new way of telling stories. While you write articles, do on-field reporting or take interviews, videos are more engaging and keep your audience hooked.

In a survey, it was concluded that 47% of US audiences engage with video content and connect to it. You can do this by:

• Keep a light vibe in your content.
• The video should have a friendly tone.
• Short but initiating conversations that change lives.

6. Social Media

Social Media is a whole new world we’ve tapped in. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, are different platforms that promote different layouts of content. While some encourage write-ups, others do photos and videos.

This not only has helped brands reach a wider audience but the growth has also increased. Skills like video editing, photo editing, and the basics of graphic design add a lot to somebody who’s working in this domain.

Also Read: Impact of Social media on the Fashion Industry In 2023

7. Phone Journalism

Mobile proficiency is one of the core skills required in journalism. Most of our users consume content on mobile hence skills like taking and editing photos, creating a story through feed, maintaining aesthetic vibes, and making sure that the content is easy to surf.

8. Communication Skills

Having good communication skills is the core of being a fashion journalist. A writer is the one who communicates well to his/her audience hence honing your writing by reading different authors, and practicing it well in the beginning, will help your journalism journey.

Some writers start their blog, work on their writing skills, and create a portfolio to apply to different publications.

10 Basics to Become a Modern Fashion Journalist

As a fashion journalist, there are a few sets of skills that one must consider. Inspired by Michael Luongo, an award-winning journalist, and author, we are going to tap into the 10 basics to become a Modern Fashion Journalist and be a relevant fashion writer for the coming years.

1. Know the language of Fashion
2. Understand your readers
3. Stay updated about the Industry
4. Social Media Engagement
5. Be Multi-tasker
6. Keep your post short and clear
7. Be Adaptable
8. Master a sub-niche
9. Network
10. Creativity

1. Know the Language of Fashion

It is crucial to know the fashion fundamentals to be a fashion writer. Majorly including Fashion Terminology, staying updated about what’s happening, and being able to communicate that to your readers is the core of fashion writing.

If fashion colleges are not an option, it’s highly important to get yourself educated about fashion history and evolution, how social and economical factors frame the fashion industry and find your voice while writing about the same. One of the easiest ways to get aware of such topics is to solely.

You can also tune into courses like Masterclass to get yourself educated as have some of the most exciting courses with offers you’d love.

2. Understand Your Readers

Understanding your readers starts with first of all knowing what your readers like. The kind of posts they enjoy and highly engage with, and how easy and understandable your flow is.

This is your target audience and only when you know what they want is when you deliver the ideal content.

3. Stay Updated About the Industry

Updating with trends, predicting styles, and being aware of all the happenings help you stay relevant. Fashion is a huge domain and there’s always something new to look up to.

Staying updated and sharing that information with your readers will also help you be more flexible with the content you write, hence staying relevant for a longer period.

4. Social Media Engagement

As a journalist, the main power you have is your voice. Make sure you’re heard. People not only hear you on the posts but also on the social media you are active. You can use platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc for the above.

Keep reposting your favorite posts, promote other writers who inspire you and also keep posting fun and engaging stories to keep your audience intact!

You can also use trend trackers, news alerts, reporting, and reading apps to help you with engaging content.

5. Be Multifaceted

With the industry becoming more digital, the platforms have become more visual. Interesting visual and strong storytelling is what everybody is looking for. Hence, being multi-faceted adds to additional skills than just writing.

This includes basic photography, editing, creating short videos, recording scripts, etc. These skills help enhance your otherwise monotonous write-ups and help make them more interesting irrespective of platform.

You can also refer to Videolicious, an app popular amongst editors that allows you to shoot, edit, and upload videos from smartphones.

6. Keep Your Post-Short and Clear

Brit Morin, an award-winning freelance writer says that content should always be short and impactful.

He says “It is necessary to make an impact in the first 140 characters, as that’s where you win your readers’ attention.” Use different elements like subheadings, links and references, and bold and italics to make your articles interesting.

A good article is nothing but well-accumulated researched data in minimum characters with maximum impact.

7. Be Adaptable

Being adaptable involves staying relevant and always up with fresh ideas. As a writer, you should have an eye to bring a new angle of bringing out content from anything that is happening in the industry.

Trends, designs, technology, or social media, explore every new idea that comes to your mind.

8. Master a Sub-Niche

While you are starting out, it is important to try different genres in Fashion writing. These include writing about fashion runway trends, designer profiles, editorials, celebrity fashion, and styling, building personal styles, etc.

Later, it is only advisable to find a voice in one of the domains that fit you best and master it to climb up the ladder.

9. Network

Networking is one of the crucial aspects of Fashion Journalism. Know people as much as you know trends.

Knowing the popular fashion insiders, designers, stylists, other journalists, and emerging brands to bring their stories most creatively is one of the most important jobs of a fashion writer.

10. Creativity

Modern-day journalism has a lot to do with creativity. Not only that you need to have an eye for bringing fresh content for engaging readers, but digital journalism also has a lot to do with providing visual stimuli to grab the attention of the audience.

How to Building a Portfolio in Fashion Journalism

To create one, these are a few steps you must follow:

1. Keep the best projects of your most relatable fashion degree.
2. Add multiple skilled projects to show versatility.
3. Include internship works if possible.
4. You can also pick part-time jobs and link them to your portfolio.
5. You can showcase guest posts that you wrote for other blogs.
6. Start your fashion blog and link it.

You can always start by doing part-time jobs, entry-level profiles, guest posting, and assisting different creative professionals in this domain gets you recommended to bigger firms.

Freelancing has a huge scope in new-age journalism. You can learn a lot by being a part of multiple opportunities in a similar domain and working on your style of writing and creating content.

Youtube channels and maintaining social media accounts also include different forms of blogging.

How Much Do Fashion Journalists Earn?

An average salary of a Fashion Journalist is between $58,847 – $148,119, a year in the US. If you ask if Fashion Journalism pays well, compared to median wages of all occupations, $50k a year is not bad.

As you move further into senior positions, you’ll also enter into one of the highest paying salaries like Fashion Editor.

Read about the Famous Fashion Journalists who’re making it big in the fashion industry and get inspired.

What Influences Modern Fashion Journalism?

The definition of fashion journalism took a new shape when Anna Wintour stepped into the world of magazines in 1988 at British Vogue.

Being one of the longest-running editors in chief at American Vogue, she’s been known for revolutionizing how fashion and media publications work.

Did you know Anna Wintour was the first editor to allow celebrity covers in Vogue issues?

Even if she initiated putting celebrity pictures on covers, she made sure that Vogue covers were fashionable yet relatable while fashion magazines followed stereotypical glamorized model faces forever!

Tune into courses like Masterclass fashion journalism courses that offer exclusive deals on more than 150+ options to choose from.

Modern Fashion Journalism consists of the following aspects:

• Fashion Magazines
• Digital Magazines and websites
• Fashion Blogging
• Fashion Vlogging 

1. Fashion Magazines

Fashion Magazines are a crucial aspect of the Fashion Industry. It’s a medium through which stories are said, involving designers, photographers, stylists, editors, Journalists, and influencers who can inspire aspiring fashion enthusiasts to pursue Fashion studies.

All exclusive news and trending discussions can be found in top fashion magazines like Vogue, Elle, Bazaar, Mode, Cosmo, Marie Claire, Glamour, Vanity Fair, etc.

2. Digital Magazines and websites 

Digital Fashion Magazines are the sources that are only available on the internet. The rise of digital media and communication had a sudden shift from print publications to digital magazines.

They’re more approachable and accessible. Net-e-porter, fashionista, WWD, and BoF are a few digital fashion magazines you must know.

3. Fashion Blogging

Digital media and content creation have led to many new opportunities that were not in the picture earlier.

Personal-style blogging is a thing now! It consists of putting photojournals and fashion personal stories for readers to get inspired and is noticeably an emerging business idea for many fashion enthusiasts.

There are many fashion bloggers you can follow on their website and on other social media platforms to get ootd inspiration.

4. Fashion Vlogging 

Youtube has changed the game of how content was created. Video production and storytelling is the key to fashion vlogging. There are various fashion vloggers on youtube and Instagram whose business is solely based on self-made video production.

Can you name some of your favorite fashion bloggers? We’ve listed a few, you can check them out! Educating ourselves about the fashion industry has never been this easy.

Not only fashion journalism has shown a tremendous shift in how fashion media works but fashion education has also been a part of this change.

Online classes, Fashion Blogging, Vlogging, and Digital Magazines have made self-education easy and accessible.

As we move towards fashion technology and innovation, Fashion Journalism is here to stay and will have a huge scope for a career in the coming years.

5 Best Career Options in Fashion Journalism

There are a variety of career options in Fashion Journalism. If you’re wondering what other job profiles can be as a student of Fashion Journalism, here are a few fashion writing job profiles you can try:

1. Fashion Writer
2. Fashion Editor
3. PhotoJournalist
4. Content Manager
5. Public Relations (PR)

1. Fashion Writer

A Fashion Writer is one who writes content for publications. These can be interviews, critics, opinions, and recommendations of the best products that include as a part of writing fashion blogs.

Not only publications but there are different brands and digital sites like Fashionista, and Nylon, that hire fashion writers.

2. Fashion Editor

A senior profile Fashion Editor is one who ideates, pitches, reports, and publishes fashion content. They work with stylists and photographers to get ideal images for every post and article that goes up, both for magazines and websites.

Mostly they have a team of fashion writers under them and they lead the team.

3. Photo Journalist

A Photo Journalist tells a visual story with the help of pictures, editing, and displaying them. They mostly cover stories that come up as reporting or covering original, real-life content as an edge to bring transparency and originality.

Since the role of a photojournalist and writer is blurred, you sometimes have the skill to be able to conduct both.

4. Content Manager

A Content Manager is a person who manages content over all the media that including magazines, websites, and social media.

Majorly known for checking on social media, content manages to help the brand build its presence, lead a team of digital marketing, and collaborate with influencers to name a few.

5. Public Relations (PR)

Although Fashion PR is a temporary situation in many brands, deals with online and offline content for fashion publications. They are also responsible for writing marketing for press releases, product launches, newsletters, print marketing quotes for advertisements, etc.

The Current State of Journalism

Readers say that Digital Journalism is the way forward as it rules the traditional media. Pew Research Center conducted a survey in January 2021 which said that they mostly get their updates from digital sources. 

Modern Fashion Journalism is a major aspect of the rapid-growing fashion industry. With opening new designations and wide career opportunities in digital media and communication, social media is the new booming industry.

Simply due to its convenience aspect, new content and updates are available all over the internet and people have their favorite fashion websites to refer to.

These are the different digital platforms that have made digital fashion journalism much more accessible for users:

1. Websites
2. Podcasts
3. Youtube
4. Social Media
5. Augmented reality
6. Data analysis and visualizations
7. Mobile Apps

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Fashion Journalism demands different skill sets that add to reporting, writing blogs, interviews, video journalism, photo editing, and scripting, Live streaming, being social media-friendly, etc.

Fashion Journalism seems to be an apt fashion education that would have a promising career scope. 

The power of fashion journalism could easily be synonymized by Anna Wintour, who’s served British Vogue since 1988, and changed the game of fashion journalism and how fashion is perceived whatsoever.

Is Fashion Journalism Still Relevant?

Fashion Journalism today is way different than how it used to be 20 years ago. Not only that it provides fashion writers new tools for exploring fashion journalism skills and creating original content, but audience engagement has also shown a drastic increase in numbers.

This has firstly increased more scope of digital fashion journalism but that also means that fashion editors now need additional skills to stay relevant in the competitive situation.

• Starting from being in traditional platforms like newspapers, books, and publications, fashion writing has come a long way. With platforms becoming digital, we’ve seen various platforms where content is written and produced.
• With technology, fashion journalism is also taking the right steps to contribute for the better. We have seen an increase in audience, although a lot of it comes as a result of the pandemic.
• People started to spend more time online reading blogs, visiting E-Commerce sites, and chilling on social media.
• Organizations are now live on different platforms that help to widen their audience and engage with them. People use blogs, websites, social media, podcasts, streaming channels, etc.
• These platforms have provided writers to explore and engage with their readers which helps them create relevant content.

It is quite safe to say that Fashion Journalism is still very relevant, it’s just that the modes have widened from what they used to be 10 years ago.

Conclusion

While fashion journalism is thought to be all about glamour, which is why many students are drawn by it, it also requires countless hours of hard labor to develop fresh content.

It has now been simpler to achieve new heights in the fashion sector in a lot less time, especially given that Fashion Journalism is one of the developing job fields in the coming year’s thanks to digitization and social media.

Twitter is one of the most used social media platforms used by fashion journalists as it is easy to pen down your voice, without doing much.

While you’ve read the top fashion writing skills one should perfect to transform their journalism skills to digital media.

A few things to always keep in mind while pursuing fashion journalism in digital media is to keep it short and clear.

Adding the relatability part, readers always like to engage with original and fresh content be it on any platform so keeping yourself updated about everything that is happening in your industry is the only way forward.