Career in Fashion Journalism

With the fashion industry booming in India, there is a growing demand for fashion journalists who can review and report on the latest trends in the industry, apart from offering an insight into this particular sector.

A few institutes offer courses in fashion journalism for those who are interested in both the areas — fashion and writing. For instance, the department of fashion communication, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), offers a course in fashion journalism, communication and styling.

NIFT offers a foundation course in writing skills. Starting semester three, students are introduced to the world of fashion. “The basic difference between a common man and a fashion journalist is based on the amount of knowledge they have about the fashion industry. A fashion journalist is expected to know the terminology, the trends, the fabric, and the styles, to write about fashion. The supporting subjects are therefore about fashion,” said Vibhavari Kumar, head of the department at NIFT.

The subjects in the course cover two extremes — history of costumes and theories of communication; textile appreciation and trend/feature writing; role of marketing and strategies of newspapers/ magazines.

Fashion styling and fashion photography are also taught so as to keep the horizons open to students in the field.

In the booming media industry there are only a few who are an expert on fashion trends, thus, creating a lot of scope for fresh aspirants. Opportunities are not just restricted to newspapers or magazines. Lifestyle and entertainment channels in TV and blogs are also major recruiters.

Last year, the Bachelor of Design (Fashion Communication) graduates from NIFT were placed at Shopper’s Stop, Marks & Spencer, Lifestyle, Benetton, The Times of India, Couture Asia, Femina, Times Now, Ogilvy & Mather, Madhura Garments, Vogue and Tanishq, to name a few.

The job of a fashion journalist can be about writing anything related to brands to styles, fashion trends, reviewing and covering events. The salary package might start at 2.5-3.5 lakh per-annum. 

Anyone who enjoys writing and has a flair for writing along with an interest in fashion can pursue a career in this field.