Deepa Kumari Basfore
Well, who does not love fashion today or probably a better question would be who is not fashionable? Whether its metropolis or booming cities like Guwahati, fashionistas is everywhere. At the designer levels, models and fashion designers are grabbing all the eyeballs today.
But wait; there is something else, which has sprung up as a viable profession that is the Fashion Journalism. Fashion journalists today are seen roaming around the models and the fashion designer to get stories. These are people who surely love the glamorous life, however this fast-paced career also requires hard work, as one needs the skill to write and report and build a network of insiders if one is going to get the best –and better yet exclusive – interviews. Talking about fashion journalists, it must be mentioned that the love for fashion and the creativity and skills of writing can together give shape to a wonderful exciting career called Fashion Journalism.
The typical day of a fashion journalist may include writing or editing stories, dealing with photographers, public relation specialists and designers, and helping to coordinate and style a fashion shoot, attend fashion shows and study designer and celebrity fashions to pinpoint trends. They might also be required to get information by conducting candid interviews with designers or research on the industry. Fashion journalists will often get to travel and meet lots of people, form social relationships readily, and communicate effectively with all sorts of people. Many fashion writers often pair up with fashion photographers so that they can comprehensively cover everything going on in the fashion circle, with both pictures and words.
This exciting career must have raised the question, Am I eligible? Yes, if you have the knowledge regarding the fashion industry, and have exemplary writing skills, as earning a degree may not always be a requirement to gain work as a fashion journalist. However, majority of jobs requires knowledge or degree in either of these subjects like fashion journalism, fashion communication, print writing and editing, photography, marketing and fashion analysis, fashion research, fashion writing, fashion trends, art and product forecasting.
However, as fashion journals, magazines and editorials increase day by day, the fashion journalism industry is expected to grow exponentially. Writing jobs are expected to rise by 2015. There are freelance columnists, freelance writers, staff reporters, and freelance reporters etc., all competing for the same projects, so there is a lot of competition even though the industry is expected to grow. People who really want to make a name in the industry should be able to talk fashion not just with designers but it’s also great to be able to talk about fashion with real women too.
Like most other careers in the world, fashion journalists are paid according to how experienced and renowned they are in the competitive industry. In India, with the fashion industry booming, there is a large demand for fashion journalists. The annual starting pay can be anywhere between Rs. 250,000 and Rs. 350,000 and this is likely to increase if one manage to make a name for yourself In the world of fashion journalism, and as your level of experience grows. If you plan to become a journalist, specializing in fashion or any other field, you should expect employment competition to be high.
At the end, always remember the quote by one of the most influential person in the fashion industry, Coco Chanel (Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel). He says ‘Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening’.
