Hot Takes #20: Fashion Girlies Are Anxious
Hi its me, I'm the anxious one (along with a lot of others)
As fashion industry professionals go through an existential crisis, the girlies are getting anxious. It's a reflection of the current state of the industry, the way professionals are undervalued, and the toxic work culture that runs rampant.
Hot Takes is my bullet point thoughts on fashion's hottest issues. These posts get to the heart of why people are talking about what they’re talking about, what this means, and where this could go next.Â
Think: what direction is fashion heading in? What’s new, innovative, and exciting? What's going on in fashion that's pissing people off?
Hot Takes ties fashion topics to a wider cultural and social context, digging into the often more significant meaning behind things.
So sit back, relax, and let's get into it. Here’s Hot Takes #20.
Let’s set the scene.
After spending over a decade working in the fashion industry, I've never felt so unsettled as I do right now.
I've done the typical fashion girlie corporate climb, from fashion cupboard intern to editorial shoot assistant to stylist, e-commerce editor and now fashion writer and columnist, and it's been a lot.
I've worked backstage at London Fashion Week, behind the scenes on TV shows styling celebrity guests, done brand campaigns, in-store visuals, billboards, e-commerce styling, trend reporting and have been on more editorial photoshoots than I can count.
This isn't to say I haven't enjoyed my time working in fashion because there have been some really rewarding moments.
But I recently read Alec Leach's Substack on 'When the dream job becomes a nightmare’ and it got me thinking...
Who is this industry built for? Who can afford to participate in a literal and metaphorical sense? Who has to let their fashion career dreams go? And why are some of the most brilliant creatives leaving?
None of these questions come with a quick answer or an easy fix, but red flags have been raised and it's time to take a hard look at the industry from the inside out.
The creative existential crisis
Working in fashion isn't easy, but the industry has never claimed that this was the case.
But for working-class people, ethnic minorities, and those from marginalised or underrepresented sections of society, the fashion ladder is a lot harder to climb.
Fashion's reputation for snobby attitudes and elitism precedes it, and in the UK only 27% of people working in the creative industries come from a working-class background. On top of this, data shows that since the 1970s the proportion of working-class people in creative jobs has halved.
So unless you have the privilege of being funded by the bank of Mum and Dad, from the minute you decide to go down the fashion career path you're operating from a disadvantage.
And if that wasn't bad enough, the (Fashion) Minority Report found that 51% of industry professionals believe the sector isn't creating change "at a quick enough pace" regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion.
All of this creates an ethical conundrum for those, like myself, who have found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place — am I valued, seen and respected in this industry? Do I get a seat at the table? Can I afford to do this? And how long will it be before my creativity runs dry?
Fashion's toxic work culture
Speaking from experience, many fashion industry overlords and those high up the career ladder expect you to make your job your life.
Forget the fact that the pay is notoriously low, imposter syndrome runs rife, and you are guilt-tripped into being available 24/7 with little to no time off, you're supposed to be grateful no matter how 'bad' things get.
The reality of working behind the scenes in fashion is a frightening tale, with the fashion industry lifestyle portrayed online sitting in stark contrast to the people who keep the industry going.
People don't feel valued or worthy because they know as soon as they sack in it for good, there will be someone waiting in the wings to replace them in a heartbeat.
Fashion’s work culture is toxic and that is causing some very talented, and very fed-up, people to leave and go freelance or move to a completely new industry entirely.
And when it feels like you're shouting into the void as nothing ever really changes, no matter how much you put up a fight, who can blame them?
My two cents.
It's time to call out fashion's bullshit and the problems that stay lurking in one of the world’s biggest and most powerful industries.
Fashion is facing a burnout epidemic as the dream of high-flying fashion careers wilts, with a mass exodus looming in the not-too-distant future.
I'm anxious, a lot of you reading this are probably anxious, and with people in creative industries three times more likely to experience mental health issues, fashion is failing the very people who want it to succeed.
From all too real workplace problems to the collapse of niche brands, retailers and media to independent designers getting ripped off and more, it's a sorry state of affairs.
But that's not to say all hope has been lost, as a new era of fresh talent flips the script and uses their background to drive their work and uplift other creatives while doing so.
It's one of the small changes I hope to make with this newsletter.
For now, I can promise that Fashion Tingz will remain dedicated to unravelling the threads that connect fashion, trends and culture, while (hopefully) creating a community of like-minded individuals who feel like they don't have a voice or don't fit in.
I hope you'll stick with me on this journey, and maybe together we can shake things up for the better.
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You're flipping the script here! Embracing artists is not historically where people through attention or resources. It may be true that the fashion industry and other creative industries burn people through and out, but it's also much more democratized than ever. There may be more fish in the pond, but that at least means more chances for success stories that can't be controlled by entities or people that would elect to stand in the way.