Fashion journalists have always had an effective role in the fashion industry, either directly or indirectly. In case you are not sure what exactly they do, here is the thing; they are writers. More precisely, they are people who have a great passion for both writing and fashion equally. They can write in different niches, for sure, given their exceptional skills in using words. However, they dedicate their profession to fashion in all of its forms.
They criticize, in a good way, the fashion models, designers, and trends. In fact, they usually have a say in whatever is trending throughout the seasons of the year. Their influence is patent and sturdy. This job has been around ever since the beginning of fashion magazines and journals. They have been providing us with the latest news and trends in the fashion world. No one can deny their impact on this industry, indeed. Let’s get familiarized with the world’s top ten best fashion journalists.
One of the smartest fashion critics is Robin Givhan. She has been at The Washington Post for so long that it became home to her. In 2006, she won a Pulitzer Prize for fashion criticism. She also happened to be the only writer ever to win it in this field.
Menkes is one of the international fashion editors and critics around the world. A lot of sources have claimed how powerful her influence in the fashion industry has always been. It is said that she once challenged Marc Jacobs, the owner of the international brand under his name, for a fashion show. Two hours after her challenge, the fashion show started out. Before she pursued a career as a fashion and art journalist, Menkes spent 25 years as the reporter of the International Herald Tribune industry. She then started writing for different outlets like Vogue and Harper’s BAZAAR. Menke’s written pieces were capable of making or breaking a collection.
3 Carine Roitfeld
Carine Roitfeld was among the editors who joined Harper’s BAZAAR with some experience. Formerly, she was the editor of Vogue Paris. She joined Harper’s BAZAAR in 2012 and became the global fashion director. Roitfeld now has her publication and CR Fashion Book.
Glenda Bailey is one of the exceptional fashion journalists who worked on the two editions of Marie Claire, the American and British. She succeeded in making the magazine skyrocket in the United Kingdom. The magazine was even featured in the advertisements around London as well as the commercials of American Express. In 2001, Bailey left for Harper’s BAZAAR, and she managed to increase the circulation of the magazine significantly.
Cathy Horyn has been in the industry for more than thirty years. She had always been popular for being incredibly transparent about her fashion opinions. Her amazing experience had always escorted the readers to confide in her and trusted her reviews. To learn more about Horyn, she started her Career at The Washington Post. Her career began with stints there and continued to be the same way when she left for Vanity Fair. Later, she managed to move to The New York Times, so it is so hard to deny such an experience with working in so many media platforms. Cathy Horyn became the Chief Fashion Critic in 1999 and remained so for fifteen years. She, unfortunately, resigned in 2014 and stepped down. Gladly, she came back as sturdy as ever and took where she left off. Her love for fashion could not keep her away for good as it seemed to have been her plan when she stepped down in 2014. Currently, she works in New York’s Magazine.
Rarely you find men who bear such a great passion for the fashion industry and keep themselves in the loop. Alexander Fury happens to be one of those incredible men who can give you brilliant opinions about everything related to fashion. Currently, he is the editor of The Independent. He has an interesting Instagram account that would keep you updated with a lot of fashion trends even if you are so updated. Fury has a great faith in the power of critical discussion of the fashion trends. He does believe that everyone, including the designers, models, photographers, and journalists, equally learn from a deep discussion about fashion. Subsequently, it is not surprising how fond he is of fashion with fangirl intensity.
7 Liz Telbris
Liz Telbris is the fashion journalist who was behind the exquisite transformation of Harper’s BAZAAR in the 90’s. She served as the Editor-in-Chief from 1992 until 1999. Those years were the significant times in which Harper’s BAZAAR became the loudest voice in the world of fashion magazines. Her competitors also confessed that she inspired them to reconsider their designs and visuals due to the eccentric ones she used.
Vanessa Friedman has always been popular for her frank and honest writings. She is one of the top fashion journalists in the world. At present, Friedman is the Fashion Director as well as the Chief Fashion Critic at The New York Times. People have always fallen in love with the way she writes. Her style is so artistic that you believe what she writes about is a masterpiece rather than a clothing piece. Vanessa Friedman is more than just a fashion writer and director. She also has a great passion for history, politics, and different forms of art.
Anna Wintour started her career as an editor. She worked her way up until she became the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue. Becoming in charge allowed her to transform the magazine entirely, making it one of the top international fashion magazines. Wintour worked hard to make fashion a lifestyle rather than a sided hobby or passion. It is a way of life that we should all live by, as she believes. In 1987, she started as an editor and her very first cover presented a pregnant woman that was fashionably dressed. Her message was that pregnancy isn’t a reason to give up your sense of style. She was capable of inspiring a lot of young women and positively impacting their lives.
10 Franca Sozzani
Franca Sozzani was one of the groundbreaking fashion journalists around the world who longed to fight all forms of racism. She was the editor of Vogue Italia and featured black models and plus-sized ones several times on the cover. She also dedicated some issues to the culture of the African fashion. Sozzani died in 2016.
