What is a Fashion Editor?

The world of the fashion editor is one of hard work and glamour. Fashion editors work tirelessly to bring new faces and looks to the buying public, while at the same time being socially responsible. After coming under fire in recent years for minority and health issues, fashion editors are working to wield their influence in more positive ways.

Function

A fashion editor is in charge of guiding the direction of a publication in terms of clothing, accessories and shoes. She drives her medium's focus through careful selection of written visual pieces that best represent a desired message. Fashion editors also coordinate photography shoots with desirable models, clothing designers and photographers to create a reputation for their medium.
A fashion editor may be found working at a magazine, on a television show or on a website. In addition, there may be several people in the fashion editorial staff; it's common to have both a lead and assistant editor at bigger publications and shows.

Features

Most fashion editors share certain points. They have a great love of fashion, and usually possess a sharp sense of personal style. They're usually college educated, with a degree in fashion or art of some variety, but this isn't a requirement; Anna Wintour, perhaps the most famous fashion editor in the world, is a college dropout. Many of them work through the ranks, taking part in internships and using their contacts to get opportunities to move ahead.
Contacts are everything in fashion. Many people that find a place on an editorial board do so through years of working at fashion shows and events, finding opportunities to meet and talk to people of influence. This isn't the only way to get a fashion editor job, but it definitely helps. The best fashion editors know the industry from the bottom up.

Significance

There are few jobs as important to the fashion industry as that of the fashion editor. Fashion editors at the top of the trade can literally make or break any number of careers. Editorial shoots are seen as cultural harbingers, ushering in new definitions of female beauty. However, editorial decisions can also bring strife. Lately, people have noticed the influence of super-skinny models on young girls' self-esteem and have asked the editorial boards to use healthier people in their shoots. Many also note the limited use of minority models, a decision that many editors defend as catering to their readership. Editorial work is serious business and holds a great deal of social responsibility.

Effects

Fashion editors have huge influence on the world of style and apparel. They've dictated beauty standards for much of the industrialized world. Even those who don't read magazines are affected, since retail stores select merchandise inspired by trends sited in other parts of the industry. Influential fashion editors have also thrown support behind beginning design houses, creating positive buzz that grows into renown and sales down the line. A magazine editorial board may also choose to pare usage of certain items, such as fur, to make a political statement. Magazine pictorials can then be used as PR tools by organizations to further their cause.

Potential

The role of fashion editors may be dwindling somewhat with the advent of the Internet and social networking. Because of easier access to the world, normal folks are collaborating and sharing style tips independent of big-name editorial opinion. However, editors have a great opportunity to work with others in the modeling industry and media to promote issues like healthy eating, voting and breast cancer; there are numerous events and pictorials every year highlighting many worthy causes. Fashion editors have the power to use their influence to improve the lives of others through the constructive use of beauty.

Resources

• Fashion Schools: Career Information
• How to Become a Fashion Editor