Last semester I studied abroad in London, which was, without question, the greatest part of my college experience. One of the elective courses I took abroad was Fashion Styling. Our instructor was a famous celebrity and editorial stylist, who accepted nothing short of excellence. When the four fashion weeks rolled around we were instructed to research every. Single. Show. And there were hundreds. We had to determine the inspirations behind each show, the key fabrics and embellishments utilized in every garment, and determine the micro and macro trends of each collection. For two straight days I did not leave my flat; I spent every waking moment on WGSN and Women’s Wear Daily—looking at slideshow after slideshow of collections. At the time, it seemed a bit drastic to go that in-depth with the research.
In retrospect, I am grateful for that assignment. It taught me that in order to understand the industry I could not take short-cuts. It was not enough to simply read articles that summarized the top trends for each season. Whether you are a fashion design or business major like myself, or simply are interested in fashion, it is absolutely worth your time to stay up-to-date with the industry. Not sure where to look? Here are my top five sources of news on the fashion industry:
1. WGSN: The holy grail of trend forecasting and fashion show reports. I was fortunate enough when studying abroad to attend a school that provided memberships for all their students. I do not recommend purchasing a membership, as the fee is quite exorbitant. Rather, you can join WGSN Insider, which is a free service that sends you a scaled-down version of their full membership offerings.
2. WWD: Women’s Wear Daily is just like WGSN, except far more affordable. A year-long membership is roughly $150, which again is not crucial or necessary for us broke college students. They do offer a fair amount of free articles, which still provide you will plenty of insight into the industry happenings. Even looking at the article headlines is a great starting point. If I can’t get access to an article, I will Google that subject to try to gain some insight into the topic.
3. Vogue.com: This is a wonderful resource for viewing select runway collections. Although the articles are not as trend forecasting-focused as WGSN and WWD, it still provides a good, general overview of everything.
4. Social Networking Websites and Apps: You know that one blogger you keep hearing about? Or those people who are constantly being photographed for their amazing style? Even those celebrities you adore? Well, they all are attending fashion shows and love to document their experiences. Instagram and Snapchat are my go-to’s during the various fashion weeks.
5. T Magazine: This is one of my favorite sources for news on the industry. It is not just about fashion; it covers art, music, dance, literature, films, and technology. Plus, it focuses on lesser-known designers and tells more of a story with their news.