editor's
As Editors Transition to Influencers, They Enter Tricky Ethical Territory
Staffers at major fashion publications receive the same gifts, press trips and dinners as full-time influencers, but when your name appears on a magazine masthead, disclosure practices can get even more murky.
The Evolution of the Fashion Editor: Industry Insiders Weigh in On How the Job Has Changed for Better or for Worse
There's no question that, over the past ten years, fashion media (and all media for that matter) has changed dramatically--a fact that was underscored last week when bloggers Scott Schuman and Garance Dore took home the CFDA Media Award, something that would have previously been unthinkable. "10 years ago, [Scott and Garance] wouldn't have gotten this award," Pharrel said during the ceremony. "That's what's so exciting about tonight." Garance reiterated that fact, saying, "Six years ago I opened my blog [and] it wasn't taken very seriously." Fast forward to 2012, and she's accepting the highest honor from her peers. Clearly, the landscape has changed drastically. "It is just a different world and different time that we live in," CFDA president Steven Kolb said, of the pair's win. "The reason why Scott and Garance won the Media Award and who they are and what they do, is no different than those who have won before," he added. "Fashion and media are changing every second because of technology." Truer words could not have been spoken. Gone are the days when print publications alone ruled the industry--now news is broken on Twitter, and blogs and websites have become legitimate (and necessary) sources of original reporting. While these changes are generally improvements--particularly for the way we consume media--they also have huge implications for the jobs of those who work in the industry, and not all of them are positive. Now, an editor is not just an editor: She or he must also be a blogger, a Tweeter, an Instagrammer, a street style star and in many cases, a "personality." And that's not even mentioning all the DJ gigs, TV appearances and special projects that editors today are racking up. So, what exactly does it mean to be an editor, in today's ever-changing, digital climate?
What's With All the New Hires at Love?
Revered fashion glossy Love is undergoing some changes. For starters, Editor-in-chief Katie Grand launched her own personal Twitter last week, apart from Love's, which we assumed she was behind. Shortly thereafter, she hired herself some company at the top of Love's masthead. First, she gave ShowStudio's Alexander Fury the role of "editor" at the magazine, announcing that he would oversee both print and online. Today, it was announced that Lulu Kennedy, founder of Fashion East, a non-profit that supports emerging designers, would become Love's Editor at Large. WWD reports that Kennedy's first project will be scouting subjects for a Solve Sundsbo-lensed front-of-book portrait feature, for which, based on this tweet, Kennedy will be the first subject. Fury and deputy editor Isaac Lock will interview the subjects. So what does all of this mean?