How To Become A Fashion Editor
Fashion editors have a vast amount of work to cover when editing the overall content and aesthetic for a fashion publication. Editing a fashion publication requires far more work than just editing, punctuation, or grammatical errors; editors have to understand the true focus, integrity, and overall aesthetic of the publication and fashion department.
It is important to keep the content of the fashion publication fresh, innovative, consistent, and most importantly, relevant to the fashion society it caters to. Fashion editors read, correct, and re-write copy for the fashion publication.
The role of the fashion editor is to verify information, evaluate submissions, and decide what content will move to the publishing phase. A fashion editor will oversee the writing staff and help them with the formation of their ideas as well as their story lines. A successful fashion editor will work well with other individuals, be open minded to fresh perspectives, and oversee the entire fashion publication’s overall style and editorial aesthetic.
If you have a passion for fashion, writing, editing, and strong literary skills, you may want to pursue a career in fashion editing. If you have the drive, a strong work ethic, and a creative vision, fashion editorial work may be the field for you!
Why Become A Fashion Editor
If you are truly interested in pursuing a career in fashion editing, it is essential to understand how the realms of fashion and editing work together. It is imperative that you have experience before you can move forward in the fashion world. As a fashion editor, you will be responsible for developing fashion and style content and keeping up with fashion industry news, while keeping your target, fashion audience in mind. Furthermore, a fashion editor will assign areas for the overall photographs, text, and illustrations for the fashion publication.
Many fashion editors supervise the entire production of the fashion publication, from start to finish. Fashion editors may edit the overall publication, or choose to edit a specific section of the fashion department. The fashion editor is essentially the driving force that brings a fashion publication together. Without the fashion editor, the fashion publication would lose focus and be unremarkable to the target audience. Fashion editors play a vital role within the fashion industry, as they are the individuals who select fashionable content and trends for their readers.
A fashion editor can decide to showcase new, innovative designers and timeless designers, while keeping the content different from other fashion publications. Fashion editors typically work in close connection with fashion designers and their sales representatives to understand what will be trendy with retail shoppers, in order to publish the content within their fashion publication. A fashion editor always needs to be ahead of the curve; the fashion-editing career is heavily involved in fashion forecasting for each season.
Qualities & Skills For A Fashion Editor
If you wish to pursue a career in fashion editing, it is crucial that you possess the following skills and qualities in order to obtain a fashion editor position.
- Judgment Skills – As a fashion editor, it is crucial that you have good judgment when deciding if the images or articles are appropriate and factual for your publication.
- Interpersonal Skills – Fashion editors work with numerous individuals, including writers, editors, stylists, or interns. It is essential that you have strong interpersonal skills to encourage and guide your fashionable staff.
- Detail Oriented – As a fashion editor, it is imperative that you are detailed oriented because you must make sure your information is accurate, free of errors, and the overall content matches the fashion publication’s overall aesthetic.
- Creativity – Fashion editors must be knowledgeable, curious, and creative in regards to fashion industry topics. Many fashion editors formulate fascinating ideas and images to capture the attention of the readers.
- Writing & Language Skills – As a fashion editor, it is imperative that you have exemplary writing, grammatical, punctuation, and language skills. Well-written and grammatically correct content is essential for an innovative, fashion publication.
Fashion Editor Work Environment
The work environment of a fashion editor can vary from fashion publication to fashion publication. Throughout the course of your day, you will attend many meetings with your writing staff, freelance writers, advertorial staff, and new interns. It is essential to a fashion editor to keep a high quality fashion publication of text and photographs. The production schedule essentially determines the overall schedule of the fashion editor. Many fashion editors work full-time in very busy, fashion offices and typically have a stressful, time-sensitive job.
Fashion editors typically work long hours and outside of their work environment in order to ensure the fashion publication is of a high quality. It is crucial to a fashion editor’s reputation that the information is accurate and relevant before the publication is published. Deadlines and constant revisions of content is a daily occurrence of a fashion editor’s role. The fashion editor wears many hats, as they oversee and coordinate a vast array of content, employees, and their own writing projects. Furthermore, fashion editors may visit showrooms, and most importantly, fashion shows, to understand the next fashion trends.
Fashion Editor Salary
The median annual wage for fashion editors is dependent on education, experience, and region of the fashion publication. For example, an entry-level fashion editor working in the Midwest earns between $26,000 to $38,000 annually. An entry-level fashion editor living in the Northeast region of the United States earns between $30,000 to $42,000 annually. West coast fashion editors earn between $24,000 to $38,000 annually. Within the Southern region of the United States, fashion editors earn between $30,000 to $42,000 annually. Factors such as cost of living will affect the overall median annual salary of fashion editors.
The median annual wage of an experienced fashion editor is $53,000. Fashion editors who are extremely experienced and work in a metropolitan area, such as New York City, can earn well beyond the median annual wage.
Fashion Editor Career Outlook
The career outlook for a fashion editor appears to show little to no change in the future, from 2012 to 2022. With the decline of print publications, many fashion editors will transition from print to online publications, resulting in a stunting of overall growth in employment within the field.
Fashion Editor Degree
Fashion editors will typically hold a Bachelor’s degree in writing, communications, or journalism. Additionally, a prospective fashion-editing student may combine a writing, communications, or journalism degree with a fashion merchandising or fashion marketing degree. It is imperative that prospective fashion editors have a strong writing, spelling, and grammatical background. It would be wise to join your high school or college newspaper to understand the writing or editing process. If you choose to obtain a dual degree that focuses within the area of fashion, seek out opportunities within the major. Fashion merchandising or fashion marketing majors may have their own, specific newsletter or small publication that you could write or edit for.
Many fashion editors start their experience through interning at various fashion publications. It is absolutely vital to obtain a fashion editing internship within a small or a large fashion publication. Within your fashion editing internship, you may edit copy, assist other editors or content managers in developing content, and gain a deeper understanding of the fashion industry. After completing your internship and Bachelor’s degree, you will most likely be able to find a career as a fashion journalist, copy editor, or staff writer.
An additional path in obtaining a career as a fashion editor is to become an editorial assistant. Becoming an editorial assistant will carve the path for your future career as a fashion editor. You may find yourself working at a small or large fashion publication, while gaining knowledge of the fashion world. The more experience and skills you earn, the more likely you will move on to a fashion editor position.
