Last week it was reported that Anamaria Wilson, the fashion feature editor at Harpers Bazaar would be leaving her role at the major fashion publication to be head of team at fashion house Michael Kors as Vice President of global corporate communications.
It may come as a shock to some that the editor of such publication would jump ship from journalism to retail, but it seems to be a running trend among the top dogs in this industry.
After 20 years in her role at Harpers Bazaar, the editor will be working in one of the highest positions in the Michael Kors brand, but if so many have trained to achieve a job title at such a prestigious company, how can a journalist simply make the switch without a hitch?
Well it’s common knowledge that those working in the fashion industry are extremely aware of their readers consumer habits. They know their target audience wants and needs and how to go about reaching out to them, but one of the problems that features within fashion journalism is that the writers may tell their audience what to buy and how to get it, but that is only half the journey. Unlike working in journalism, working for a brand or retail position deals with every step of the cycle, from getting the product publicity, watching the audience react and then finally, them buying your product and all the bits in between, making the cycle complete.
But Wilson is not the only one making the switch. NYLON magazine’s Faran Krentcil, had a change of heart after being senior web-editor for NYLON for years. The journalist decided to go freelance and began working for brands such as Clarins and Shopbop as well as other brands.
When the online magazine franchise first began, many editors of printed magazines made the switch, it was an extremely effective transitional period of time for fashion and many other genres who had previously only worked with print. It had been said that once someone switched to online press rather than printed, that they would never want to go back.
It has also become more apparent that brands are turning towards more written content as a way of advertising rather than advertorials every chance they get. Blogs are turning up on high street brand websites every day of the week, Urban Outfitters, Asos and Topshop all have regular bloggers attracting new attention to their brands. It’s not just high street though, designer’s blogs are becoming more popular by the day and are creating a following like no other.
Where once upon a time journalists were the only ‘qualified’ writers, PR girls everywhere are spending their time promoting brands through a blog and or social media sites like Twitter. So maybe it’s not as big of a shock as once thought, that those who previously worked in Editorial are now getting their claws into brand management, well they sure are ‘qualified’ in writing after all.
