We Need Objective Fashion Criticism
The current state of fashion criticism has been under scrutiny. With Gabriella Karefa-Johnson recently being attacked online for her analysis of a runway show and younger writers shying away from giving critiques, having an opinion seems to only be for the especially brave.
But what is art without criticism? What is a culture without expectations? In 2022, having a critical voice in the fashion industry appears to be a rarity, and it shouldn’t be.
Fe Noel NYFW 2023
Why does it take bravery? We’re fashion journalists. How have we ended up in a position where a simple critique of a runway show seems equal parts blasphemous and bold? Fellow fashion lover and coordinator for high fashion Twitter's Met Gala event Chloe Iris Kennedy gives us an idea of why “The current state of fashion journalism is so devoid of criticism. Many ppl seem more concerned with staying on PR lists or being in the good graces of designers. I’m proud of Gabriella Karefa-Johnson for speaking out. That’s something few people at her level are brave enough to do.”
In a landscape where having a personal brand can mean the difference between getting the exposure, brand deals, and invites that allow you to pay the bills, fashion journalists are incentivized to maintain positive relationships with most if not all of the designers and brands they interact with. It’s hard to critique an event, designer, or piece when they’ve paid for you to attend an event, provided you with ample content-worthy experiences, sent you gifts, or paid for content. “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you” right?
The problem here is two-fold: fashion journalists (who often live in high-cost-of-living cities) need to be paid liveable wages and critiquing art cannot be deemed faux pas.
Imagine being a fashion journalist, crafting stories about a new collection or runway presentation, but you make so little that your only chance of buying an item you adore (without staking hope that you’ll eventually find the piece on the secondhand market) is to keep or gain a position on that brand’s PR list? Hard to be objective when you can’t even dream to afford the very luxuries that your job requires you to report on.
On the flip side, the online fashion community tends to be ultra-defensive. Any critique, even those that are genuine, constructive, and come from very knowledgeable folks, can lead to the “brave” soul who said it being disparaged and discredited by what we’ll call brand stans. Choosing your peace over giving a critique is simple when you can anticipate your mentions and quote retweets being flooded with personal attacks on your intelligence, taste, character, or appearance. There are certainly swaths of the online fashion community that could benefit from learning how to disagree and share their perspective respectfully. Fashion is an art form and a form of communication. If we as fashion lovers learned how to better communicate with one another and interact with the art designers are gifting us, the state of fashion criticism would surely improve.
And I would be remiss if I did not mention how critiquing a designer can and has led to some critics being disinvited from runway shows and other big industry events! How can we as fashion journalists do our job if we don’t receive invites to cover events? With designers being so hands-on and publicists scouring the internet for even a whiff of disagreement, invite lists tend to be comprised of editors who have displayed a level of loyalty and influencers who can bring more eyes to the brand. Now there is nothing inherently wrong with having these two archetypes of attendees at said events, but where is the room for the objective, critical eyes? Honest critiques tend to spur on conversation and genuine analysis of the work. Cutting out the objective journalists – the very catalysts for these conversations – will do your brand any favors.
It’s going to take a big amount of kindness and respect to change the current state of fashion criticism, but I have faith that we can get to a better place.
