<p>Hello, I am going to be a senior in high school and have finally decided on what I would like to go to college for. I would love to work at an elite fashion magazine when I'm older (vogue,Elle etc) So I'm wondering if there are any colleges that would be good for this (preferably in New York) I am also wondering do I major in journalism and minor in fashion or what? Thanks so much to everyone that responds!</p>
<p>There are many routes to success both in journalism and in fashion. A formal course of study in either journalism or fashion merchandising wouldn’t hurt, but at the same time, it’s not strictly necessarily to have a degree in both or either.</p>
<p>What is, to me, the most important attribute for anyone interested in fashion (outside of design, that is) would be an understanding of how retail and branding works and a highly developed personal sense of style and taste level. Then you need to have the communication skills to express what you see and what you like and why. </p>
<p>Fashion journalism has undergone a seismic shift in the past decade with the rise of e-commerce, blogs, Facebook and sites like You Tube, Pinterest and so many more. So my top advice would be to start blogging. Pick a fashion niche that excites you and write about it, illustrate it, live it.</p>
<p>Secondly, get a job in retail, even if it means folding sweaters at the Gap. Observe what sells, talk to customers about what they like and what they don’t like. </p>
<p>All of the magazines and brands offer summer interships. They will be looking for bright fashion savvy candidates. What will convince them to choose you will not necessarily be the name of your school, but rather how you present yourself in person and in writing. Enthusiasm and design awareness is a big factor.</p>
<p>Fashion and Journalism are both awful majors. Put the two together it just doesn’t open up many job opportunities. Good luck with that. But do you realize the small number of job openings for those elite magazines. You will have little to no chance of success. You will probably end up working at a mall with a bunch of highschoolers and make minimum wage. And honey, minimum wage won’t pay the bills.</p>
<p>I work in the fashion industry right now as a public relations intern, which means I deal with the sponsors and bloggers. I’m a rising senior in high school, so I will tell you now that you do not need a major in fashion or journalism to get involved in this industry. If you want to work directly with fashion, I would start out with a blog so you can get sponsored. Check out popular blogs on blog lovin .</p>
<p>Reiterating on what the others have said, you do not have to major in fashion or journalism to become a fashion writer. I’m interested in fashion journalism myself & I’m also a rising senior! My advice to you would be to gain as much knowledge about the industry as possible. Read blogs, read magazines, follow editors on twitter and/or tumblr. Try and write a lot, about fashion and about other things. If you want to you can start a blog, but I don’t see it as necessary. I would recommend taking art history classes in college because it can help you gain a more critical eye when it comes to the fashion industry. Even though I want to work in the fashion industry, I want a liberal arts education because I think it’s important to be a well-rounded and educated student. I also feel like it will help be become a better writer & critical thinker. Check out this Teen Vogue link (<a href=“http://m.teenvogue.com/careers/job-advice/2012/04/teen-vogue-editors-college-majors[/url]”>http://m.teenvogue.com/careers/job-advice/2012/04/teen-vogue-editors-college-majors</a>), where different editors talk about what they’re majors were & most of them didn’t major in journalism. In college, I would say get involved in your college paper, or maybe your school will have a fashion magazine; get involved with that. And apply for internships!! If you go to college in NYC, try and get internships during the school year because competition for summer internships is tough & the more experience you have, the better. Some schools in NYC you could consider (depending on your stats) are Columbia, FIT, Parsons, Barnard, Pace, Eugene Lang, and Fordham. Good luck!!</p>
<p>I would suggest journalism and some strong internships. Also, try writing for the campus newspaper…having strong clips on fashion will help land you the internships, which may lead to a job once you graduate.</p>