On a grey Tuesday in Bournemouth, unpacking after a recent trip to Sweden for the independent.co.uk. Paul Tierney unwinds as he looks out his heavily windowed apartment onto a fairly non descript road, bordering the sea.
Tierney, 51, who is nearing his 30th year in the fashion industry recalls some of his most memorable moments as he ponders the future of the print magazine. “ I had to do an interview in bed with a half clothed Janice Dickinson once for Ponystep, she’s not my favourite person but it ended up being one of my favourite interviews, I also interviewed Taylor Swift for LOVE which turned out well”
However, all this glamour and expertise was not something he was born into.
After a flunked degree, working multiple retail and bar jobs while overstaying his welcome at his sisters place, Tierney got his first fashion related job from his local job centre. “ I didn’t really know much about fashion or PR to be honest, but I was lucky I got an interview and I got the job and it was all very fortuitous.” Paul worked as a fashion assistant for a PR company looking after the likes of John Galliano and English eccentric and other famous fashion designers at the time.
It wasn’t till after about a year in the job that he heard about a fashion journalism course in London College of Fashion. He admits he never really considered fashion journalism as a job but when he thought about it and considered it he knew it was right for him.
This was also around the same time that street style was becoming a huge part of popular culture in London- punks, rockers and all sorts of individual fashion dominated the streets. This whole movement, as such, really pushed him to work in fashion journalism particularly for the likes of magazines such as iD, where he did a lot of his work experience.
Tierney, who is now a regular lecturer of journalism at London College of Fashion and Central St. Martins doesn’t see the “death” of magazines just yet.“ I cant really see in my lifetime magazines completely dying out but they will diminish, but having said that, that was the way people thought maybe 5-7 years ago when blogs were peaking and we all thought we were going to see the death of magazines”
Although his background is primarily in print, Tierney is a regular contributor for online publications and isn’t afraid of the digital age. He admits that the influx of social media influencers and bloggers have made it more competitive, but it is still skill and good writing that will evidently help you succeed the most.
This emergence of bloggers and self publication does not worry Tierney, however, as he believes that they lack the “trust” that established publications hold. “I kind of think you have to live in the real world as well, not because more people are going to see it or read it but because it is permanent, verified- it’s a different medium in that way”.
“ You’ve got lots of bloggers who just want to be famous straight away, they just want the followers but its not about that, its about the quality of your writing.”
This need for instant social media attention is now detracting from the original, new, strong content blogs used to produce- almost steering people back towards magazines. The ‘Reversal’ as Paul calls it.
A topic Tierney speaks passionately and frequently about is the consternation between Digital and print. Paul, who is the editor at large of the bi-annual title Ponystep, a rather niche magazine talks of how, as the emergence of online publications grew, an attraction towards niche magazines and smaller publications grew too in effect.
Who is to say what the future of the print magazine holds. It is inevitable that all journalists have to accept the digital movement but the presence of print is still as relevant.
“People will always want magazines, it’s a different emotional response- your picking up a magazine, its tactile you can go back to it and pour over it. Perhaps there will become a time where there are none- but books have been around for years.”
As for the future of Paul Tierney, its hard to say where he will be- literally. After spending his 51st birthday with Rick Owens at his home in Venice for Neue Luxury magazine, one can only imagine where he will be next year. As Paul continues to contribute his expertise to different genres of publications- both print and digital, his success is very much so not diminishing. A regular travel correspondent for the independent.co.uk and an in demand freelance writer.
“You’ll never know where I’ll be next”