Fashion Careers, People We Like
How’d You Get So Far? Five Honest Answers to Succeeding in Fashion
By Kate Kaunitz
Eric Wilson, Fashion Journalist, The New York Times
How did you get started?
I called up the editors at Women’s Wear Daily, which I had been reading since college, and asked for a job. Repeatedly. I was turned down for the shampoo beat and an editorial assistant position before landing a job on the third try, covering ready-to-wear, the furs, suits and dresses beat.
Name one quality that contributed to your success.
Curiosity. I want to know why designers do what they do, why one suit can cost $4,999 and another costs $49.99, why one designer succeeds and another fails over and over again, why an editor has the power to change fashion, and why people buy so many more clothes than they could possibly need. After 13 years of asking these questions, I’m still curious.
What is the best piece of advice you would give to a young journalist trying to make it in the industry?
Keep your goals in mind and never forget them. Throughout your career, whether you are just starting out or have become part of the establishment, you will constantly be reminded that tomorrow, you could be nothing. It doesn’t matter. There’s always a day after tomorrow. Be honest. Be fair. If you are good at communicating what it is you want to do, whether writing a story, styling a model or building a career, you will find your subjects more willing to cooperate.
Tags: Dan Martensen, Eric Wilson, Joe Zee, Natalie Joos, Pamela Love
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thank you thank you thank you!!
This is fabulous. I do wish you had covered marketing (maybe Roopal Patel?), PR, Communications, etc. because those are relevant areas as well. Ones I'm interested in, actually :P
So glad you like it! We'll do another one soon with more professionals. Keep letting us know what you're interested in!
Great piece! I agree it would be helpful to see marketing/PR professionals. More importantly pieces like this help people like me move from dream to reality. If your taking recomendations I would love to see Mandi Lennard or Leon Bailey-Green.
would love to know more about the business and legal side of fashion…..
I'm so glad you featured Dan Martensen. He's been an idol of mine as I strive to become an fashion stylist. Thats for the words of inspiration during my 'trying' time. lol
Great post! I loved reading about the different positions and can't wait to see a few more up here. It helps us visualize for where we see ourselves in the future! Love the idea of PR/Marketing too!
i would love to hear more from eric wilson
This is a great post! Thanks for sharing, I'm always curious how people make it big in such a fickle industry.
http://meggasus.blogspot.com/
thank god for you, eric wilson.
this article was GREAT!! if you do another one, could you feature buyers? i'm curious about how to crack into that world:)
Great bit of inspiration. Agree with the requests for a similar article on marketing/PR, especially since “marketing” in fashion is so different than it is in any other industry. For someone coming from a more traditional marketing background, what's the best way to parlay my skills into fashion?
It seems like you post only positive comments on your website…
Is that true?
It can't possibly be that all comments you receive are “this is great!”
Do you screen comments that offer a different point of view other than 'this is great'?
That would be very disappointing…
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!
AMAZING! I really love Eric Wilson's response, it's so real and raw. I love that he called WWD editors and asked for jobs,it's so daring and guerilla. I love it!
Thanks Fashionista!!!
xxx
Great piece!
great, but i agree with a few of the other comments – these are not all the bases of fashion careers! what about the business side? sales? planning and/or inventory management? marketing? advertising? there's so, so much more to fashion :)
Of course! There are a a lot more careers–it's hard to put it all in one story. We're definitely going to be doing more of these.
i appreciated Dan Martensen's candidness
Well done Fashionista
http://126king.blogspot.com/
being a fashion editor is my dream job but i actually have no ideas on how to get there, articles like these help me a lot, thank you!
This is a great article. But you hear time and time how hard they worked and how they targeted a well known person or company. To you aspiring Fashionista I suggest you live your dream by creating your own. I worked in corporate america for many years before I realized what I am doing for this company I could do for myself.
Very inspiring! I would like to read Leon Bailey Green and Mandi Lennard's advice too.
You know who actually has the best advice? Chuck Close. Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us get to work. Seriously, if you want to pursue something so badly, just do it. And make sure you enjoy it. And you don't need to succeed in this life or the next wasting your time being a fashion editor because honestly, in the bigger world it's not that important.
LOVEEEEED!
this is really inspiring, you guys should do it more often!
xoxo from Brazil!
Great post! It's something that we can all learn from. More posts like this…
This reminds me of the teen vogue handbook, which you were in! It sure must've been fun to turn the tables…
http://www.onceuponafad.blogspot.com
I LOVE THIS!
I loved what Joe Zee, the Creative Director of Elle magazine said when he explained, “And I am always pushing myself to learn and do something new and embrace what’s next. In the end, isn’t that what fashion should be all about?” I also like the way he pointed to perserverance as the key trait on which success hinges. I think his advice is invaluable because it gives credibility to the people who work in fashion; he defends them as not only pretty people who dress well, but as intelligent, hard workers who are never too stylish to learn. He has a very open-minded, eclectic approach to fashion that is refreshing in a world which so often consists of “do”s and “don't”s.
the key to success is changing from one to another….
This is amazing! Thank you so much for this!
Always interesting to read inspiring industry stories.
Tres Bien, bravo!
Nxx
Whatta wonderful idea! Thank you so much for sharing all of the info w/ us!!!
Like some of the previous comments, I would also appreciate if you interviewed people who work in the business side of fashion. Personally, fashion marketing sounds very appealing, and I would like to know more about it. Thank you in advance and keep up the good work!
VB
Really Great post. This is very helpful! Top favorite post! :) THANKS!