Fashion editors are some of the many people who keep up with everything that goes on in the industry. From reporting on news in the industry to different trends every season to designer wear, fashion editors know the ins and outs of the fashion industry and are probably the people who keep up to date with everything more than other occupations in the industry.
In years past, people of color have been underrepresented in the fashion industry. Last year, after the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests, many Black editors started coming forward and talking about their experiences with racism in the industry. People started calling out publications such as Vogue for upholding racism in the workplace. Many people also started to point out runways where almost all of the models were white. Many fashion designers have been called out for having a problem with having runway shows that are majority white while throwing in two or three people of color so that they aren’t called out for not having representation.
Back in 2018, Lindsay Peoples Wagner, Editor-in-Chief of New York Magazine, The Cut, wrote an article called ‘What it’s Really Like to Be Black and Work in Fashion’ where she interviewed over 100 Black working professionals in the industry about their experiences with racism. In this article models, editors, designers, stylists, managers, and more all spoke about dealing with racism and discrimination in the industry. In 2020, Lindsay Peoples Wagner also co-founded the Black in Fashion Council, an organization dedicated to diversifying the industry and amplifying Black voices in fashion.
Last year, Samira Nasr became the first Black Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar. While the industry is becoming more diverse, with the hiring of more people of color in high power positions, there is still more work to be done to make sure the industry is inclusive. Today, at Fashion Fundamentals, we are highlighting a few of our favorite POC fashion editors that you can support by amplifying their voices, reading their work, and following them on social media.
Michelle Li works as the fashion and beauty editor and stylist at Teen Vogue. She has styled multiple covers for the online magazine, including covers with Lil Yachty, Cori Bush, and Coco Gauff. In addition to styling, Li also writes articles on fashion and beauty since she is an editor. She has written about different fashion products, collections, and celebrity style.
Nikki Ogunnaike is the digital director of Harper’s Bazaar. Before coming to Harper’s Bazaar, Ogunnaike worked for GQ, ELLE Magazine, Conde Nast, and Instyle in the fashion departments. Oggunaike has covered fashion week, political fashion, fashion trends, and celebrity style for Harper’s Bazaar.
Rajni Jacques serves as the fashion director for Allure. Before working for Allure, Jacques also worked for Madewell, Nylon, Teen Vogue, and Hearst. Jacques stays on top of trends for shoots for Allure.
4. Nandi Howard
Nandi Howard works for Essence as the fashion editor. Howard writes about celebrity style, fashion designers, and news in the industry. She has also interviewed fashion figures such as Zerina Akers and Law Roach.
Shelby Ying Hyde is the contributing fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar and contributing shopping news editor at The Zoe Report. In addition to serving as the fashion editor, she also contributed to Nylon Magazine, Essence, and Teen Vogue. She has covered news on designers, trends, and TikTok fashion.
Lauryn Jiles
Follow Lauryn Jiles on Instagram.