Having just completed our 5 days of Fashion Journalism course, Lara Hedge reflects on the Vogue College Masthead event that saw Condé Nast employees (including some of the College’s own alumni) lift the lid on their coveted roles at Condé Nast and the career journeys they’ve had so far.
On January 28th, Vogue brought the ‘Masthead to Life’ in an inspiring and informative event. A range of Condé Nast editors, writers, and stylists discussed their careers and shared advice on how to make it in the fashion industry.
When I tell people I’m pursuing a career in fashion, I’m met with a range of equally deflating responses. Winced sighs, furrowed brows, disingenuous well wishes. Or just a straight-up ‘oof, good luck.’ Perhaps I’m telling these aspirations to a generation out of touch (after all, these are the questions you answer from distant relatives or friends of parents), but it seems there is a prevailing view of the fashion industry as totally impenetrable, ruthlessly brutal, and violently competitive. In crux, simply inaccessible unless you are a rich daughter or son of, or a genius up-and-coming designer – in which case you’ve been interning since you were four and studied 10 years at Parsons or Central Saint Martins. This had been my post-University experience, anyway.
My time as a Fashion Journalist on the Vogue Five Days of… course has been the perfect renewal of faith and passion. In the RSA building, opposite the Adelphi, Condé Nast’s headquarters, there was an air of girlish excitement as Zoe Souter, Head of Careers at Vogue College of Fashion, quietened the bustle, and introduced the speakers. Six women, three former VCF students, graced the floor with a breath of impressive job titles: European Fashion Director of GLAMOUR, GQ’s Commerce Picture Editor, the Marketing Managers of Vogue Business and Vogue Club, the list goes on.
The Vogue College Masthead Event speakers included:
- Nicole Brixi, Creative Strategist, Style & Beauty, Condé Nast Commercial Creative (College Alumna)
- Josephine Judd, Commerce Picture Editor, GQ (College Alumna)
- Robyn Brady, Marketing Manager, Vogue Business (College Alumna)
- Londiwe Mcube, European Fashion Director, GLAMOUR
- Jess Firmston–Williams, Senior Manager, Digital Media Strategy, Condé Nast
- Francesca Mancini, Marketing Manager, Vogue Club
Definitively, the event informed us about the wealth of jobs available in the fashion industry. Every speaker picked up on their previous naivety about what roles existed and affirmed that, once you begin, you’ll be astounded by the breadth of positions it takes to underpin a company like Condé Nast. This is essential going into any career as it gives perspective and direction, however, it shattered the timely image of the industry as an exclusive feedback loop from designer to model, from show to journalist, editor to glossy page.
A recurring theme amongst the speakers was the importance of innovation. Emphasised by Francesca Mancini from Vogue Club and Josephine Judd from GQ, they hounded the importance of constantly having new ideas and being vocal about them in an industry that is always creating, evolving, and collaborating. This focus on innovation has garnered Josephine a huge skill set by focusing on being a jack of all trades. Londiwe Ncube of GLAMOUR reinforced this path, tracing her beginnings as an unpaid intern for a variety of publications where she did everything from commerce to branding, to socials and styling. She told us: ‘Take detours into everything, shadow in everything you can. Don’t specialise and build 360 connections wherever you are.’
Robyn Brady from Vogue Business was particularly inspirational, putting ‘all her eggs in one basket’ when she graduated from the college with a BA (Hons) in Fashion Communication, she was wanting to work at Vogue Business ‘so badly’ and was turned down for lack of experience. She spoke of all the ‘little random jobs in between’ that helped build her skill set; from customer service at Soho House, interning at Ralph Lauren, to random PR jobs, all the while updating the head of Vogue Business every 3-6 months on the books she was reading and the courses she was taking. She told her she would mould herself to whatever role was coming up. In an utterly matter-of-fact style and with an absence of typical corniness, Robyn declared that if you have a dream, never let it go.
Express insane commitment and passion for something you want, and you can get there.
This was the general tone of the speakers who, so refreshingly, cut through the drone of negativity so many of us have experienced, with a message of hard graft and laser-sharp direction. The Five Days of… really are intensive crash courses into your specialism. The override of information is balanced by the intimacy of class sizes and the enthusiasm of the lecturers, all of whom want to know who you are and why you are there. It’s a week of constant note-taking, fervent concentration, and lots of inspiration, culminating in an exciting collaborative project to design the next issue of Vogue. This challenging workshop allowed us to bring our ideas to life in a practical simulation of cross-collaborative teamwork and pitching. I left rather joyous and creatively stimulated, with connections made and direction harnessed.
By Lara Hedge
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