What Does it Mean to be a Fashion Editor Today? Industry Insiders Weigh in On How the Job Has Changed for Better or for Worse
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There’s no question that, over the past ten years, fashion media (and all media for that matter) has changed dramatically–a reality that was underscored last week when bloggers Scott Schuman and Garance Dore took house the CFDA Media Award, a thing 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 truth, saying, “Six years ago I opened my blog [and] it wasn’t taken quite 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 various globe and different time that we live in,” CFDA president Steven Kolb mentioned, of the pair’s win.
“The cause why Scott and Garance won the Media Award and who they are and what they do, is no distinct than these who have won just before,” he added. “Fashion and media are changing each second simply 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 sites have become legitimate (and essential) sources of original reporting. Even though these changes are normally improvements–particularly for the way we consume media–they also have enormous implications for the jobs of these who function in the market, 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 numerous situations, a “personality.” And that’s not even mentioning all the DJ gigs, Tv appearances and special projects that editors right now are racking up.
So, what exactly does it mean to be an editor, in today’s ever-changing, digital climate?