Black History Month Series suffered a bit (as it does) with Fashion
Week, but i am closing the month out with an industry living legend:
Fashion Journalist Robin Givhan.
Givhan made her mark on the fashion world as an editor for the Washington Post, where her witty opinions and brilliant prose garnered her a Pulitzer Prize for Fashion Criticism in 2006. Since leaving the Post, she has been a freelance writer for the Daily Beast, Newsweek, and New York Magazine, and most recently published a book on the historic Battle of Versailles. She took some time out of her day to tell us about her career journey, and offer advice to those looking to break in.
Givhan graduated from Princeton University with a degree in English, then obtained a Masters Degree in journalism from the University of Michigan. She says, “ I did a couple internships at newspapers. And then I got my first full-time job at the Detroit Free Press. I was a general assignment feature writer. A few months later, the fashion editor became a columnist. I really wanted a beat — any beat — so I applied. I knew nothing about fashion and I wasn’t especially interested in it. But I liked the idea of covering a creative business that effected so many people. I didn’t get the job, but the paper suggested I take on menswear part-time. That’s when I began to learn about the fashion business.”
She continues, “Fashion never crossed my mind as something I’d want to be involved in. I was not one of those teenagers reading fashion magazines. I would hang out at the mall with friends but it was a social event for me, not a fashion event.” But, she says, ” Once I began covering the industry, I was fascinated by the personalities, the way so much of the merchandise is created based on a guess, a gut feeling or some magical inspiration. There’s rarely any market research on the part of designers. And I loved how fashion was part of who we are as a culture.”
If you’re interested in being a fashion journalist, Givhan offers, “Hone your writing skills however you can. Take jobs that may not have you covering your dream beat but that will still offer you experience reporting and writing. If you have those skills, you can cover any beat. Be enthusiastic, even about the grunt work. Ask questions.”
Her advice for people of color? “Bring the nuances of your experiences to the manner in which you report. It will broaden the reach of journalism and elevate it as a profession. Be savvy about the digital space. Speak up.” For millenials, she advises, ” Don’t fall into the stereotype of believing you should be running the office when you’ve only been there five minutes. Share your digital knowledge but also do your homework. Just because something hasn’t been online, doesn’t mean it hasn’t been in print.”
In terms of a Success Mantra, she says, “Be present, be confident and be humane.” Alright!
You won’t regret following Robin on Twitter @RobinGivhan. Also be sure to Pre-Order her book, The Battle of Versailles, on Amazon.com.
I hope you enjoyed my Living Legends Series!
There are a lot of people i didn’t have time to get to, so it looks like i’ll be continuing these next February, and throughout the year.
What did you think of the subjects i covered?
No comments:
Post a Comment