The Future of Fashion
Just over a month after the heartbreaking December death of Vogue Italia editor-in-chief, Franca Sozzani, British Vogue editor-in-chief, Alexandra Shulman, announced that she will step down in the summer. Grace Coddington, the creative director of American Vogue, stepped down last January, and while Anna Wintour is still going strong as Vogue’s iconic editor-in-chief, she is undoubtedly nearing the age of retirement (no disrespect to Ms. Wintour). With massive changes happening in fashion and, accordingly, fashion journalism, one has to wonder: what is the future of fashion?
More specifically, who is the future of fashion? As our trusted leaders slowly leave us behind, a new generation of fashionistas and social media moguls are rising to take their place. This generation, although they’re a bit young for the job now, could prove to be the most diverse fashion régime yet.
With this new age of millennial power and acceptance of all races, genders, religions, and nationalities (well, in the fashion world anyway), the future will hopefully see more people from all backgrounds in leadership roles. Fashion magazines have been ruled primarily by white women for years, and while they’ve done a spectacular job, it’s time to issue in a new era.
Emanuele Farneti was named Franca Sozzani’s successor at Vogue Italia this past month, which means one more male has infiltrated – and thrived – in the primarily female fashion industry. Speculations surrounding Alexandra Shulman’s successor include the sensational LOVE magazine founder, Katie Grand, and the founder of Net-A-Porter, Dame Natalie Massenet. Both of these women have made huge strides in the way of multimedia and digital platforms, so either would be an excellent choice for the job.
A potential long-term change for the fashion industry is the overwhelming presence of “personalities.” Although the editors and writers and directors of today are relatively obscure on social media (Anna Wintour doesn’t even have an Instagram), we are entering a world where image is everything. To get anywhere in the fashion industry, you must have a strong network of connections, which is now built and reinforced on social media.
With social media as one of the fastest growing platforms, those that master it early on like bloggers and celebrities (and celebrity millennials like Bella Hadid and Sofia Richie) will be on the front line of the new age. What their role in the industry will be is hard to predict (who would’ve guessed Kendall Jenner would branch out into photography?). Whatever the future brings, don’t be afraid to be a part of it and, if you’re lucky, make history.
