The first episode in this series addresses the sometimes all-consuming nature of fashion work. Don’t Say No is a phrase I’ve used to describe this culture of agreeing to everything, because you feel so lucky to be in the room. Fashion is a dream job, so if you don’t say yes, someone else will.
This could be when you’re an intern trying to get your foot in the door, working long hours for little or no pay. Or, while working at a magazine or fashion brand where it’s the norm to do out of hours work. To put fashion before a personal life, because the industry moves so fast and there’s always so many products to churn out.
As a freelancer, you might not feel able to say no to jobs - whether that’s because you have to pay your rent in an expensive fashion capital, or you’re worried that you’ll be replaced in a highly competitive, novelty-seeking industry.
And, throughout, this episode is about not feeling comfortable to speak out if you’ve experienced mistreatment, for fear of losing out on opportunities. This makes fashion a very obscure industry, considering how ever-present it is in the media.
To help me tell this story, I interviewed 3 fashion professionals for this episode:
The first is Leeann Huang, a fashion designer who runs her own label in Los Angeles. She has had experience working in the design houses of big fashion brands in Europe. You can find Leeann on Instagram and TikTok.
The second is Dominic Cadogan, a writer and editor who has worked in-house at known magazines in London. A couple years ago they went freelance and moved to Lisbon. You can find Dominic on Instagram and TikTok.
The third is Lucinda Graham, a stylist and costume designer based in London. Her work includes music videos, red carpets, performances and editorial shoots. You can find Lucinda on Instagram and TikTok.
Next episode, we’ll be talking Unpaid Glamour!
You can find me here:
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This podcast is not definitive of everyone’s experiences. If you’re listening and want to share your story, I encourage you to get in touch. Maybe these experiences resonated with your own. Maybe you disagree, or feel like there’s some nuance I missed. Let me know!
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