Fashion Writers and Editors

Fashion writers, also known as fashion reporters, correspondents, or authors, express their ideas about fashion in words for books, magazines, newspapers, advertisements, radio, television, and the Internet. These writing jobs require a combination of creativity and hard work.

The majority of fashion writers are employed by fashion magazines. These writers report on fashion news, conduct interviews of top designers, or write feature articles on the latest styles for a season. Fashion writers also work for newspapers with fashion sections (often a part of a larger arts-and-entertainment department), Web sites, or other media outlets.

Good fashion writers gather as much information as possible about their subject and then carefully check the accuracy of their sources. This can involve extensive library research, interviews, and long hours of observation and personal experience. Writers usually keep notes from which they prepare an outline or summary. They use this outline to write a first draft and then rewrite sections of their material, always searching for the best way to express their ideas. Generally, their writing will be reviewed, corrected, and revised many times before a final copy is ready for publication.

Fashion editors work with fashion writers on the staffs on newspapers, magazines, publishing houses, radio or television stations, and corporations of all kinds. Their primary responsibility is to make sure that text provided by fashion writers is suitable in content, format, and style for the intended audiences. For example, a fashion editor working for a newspaper would ensure that articles are timely and can be understood and enjoyed by the newspaper's average reader—not just people in the fashion industry.

Editors must make sure that all text to be printed is well written, factually correct (sometimes this job is done by a researcher or fact checker), and grammatically correct. Other editors, including managing editors, editors in chief, and editorial directors, have managerial responsibilities and work with heads of other departments, such as marketing, sales, and production.