CNC graduate Hannah Rogers reflects on her journey as a Fashion Writer and the current media landscape
The Condé Nast College was delighted to welcome Hannah Rogers, CNC graduate and now Fashion Writer at The Times, to share her journey as a writer, the current media landscape, and the realities of job hunting. Manica Pathak, MA Fashion Journalism reports …
About Hannah Rogers
When she first saw ‘The Devil wears Prada’, Hannah knew one day she would see herself on the pages of a magazine. As a student fascinated with magazines to an intern with the right social skills to create her own big break, Hannah Rogers led Condé Nast’s students along her fascinating journey to becoming a fashion writer.
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She enrolled in the 10-week Vogue Fashion Certificate course at the Condé Nast College, whilst still pursuing her degree in Anthropology at Durham University. Juggling internships on weekdays and college assignments at the weekends, Hannah talked to the students about the importance of social skills, long-lasting impressions, the challenges of an aspiring writer, and making the most of opportunities amidst the realities of the media landscape.
The importance of internships in fashion media
Delving into her experiences, Hannah elaborated on the importance of honing the right social skills and being efficient. “Interning is so important it gets its own slide” emphasised Hannah in her presentation, delivering the perfect take-away advice. She interned at British Vogue, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, and Marie Claire. Although internships were unpaid and challenging, they added value and moulded her career.
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So, what makes an Intern really stand out from the crowd? Organisational skills, tenacity, patience, and appearance. She added that being cheerful got her a long way, and most importantly was having fresh ideas to contribute. “You should always be ready with ideas because the people will always remember you for offering something,” she concluded.
The first big break
After interning at various media platforms, Hannah decided to pursue a Masters degree in Fashion Journalism at Central Saint Martins. She then secured a job at the Times Magazine as an editorial and fashion assistant. Navigating her way as the young and naive millennial, she made the most of every opportunity.
Swooping in to take the role of styling that nobody else wanted, to the minuscule of keeping the dog away from her boss with occasional writing, she did it all. She emphasised the importance of getting into junior roles to experience every facet of being a media professional. “I also managed the social media and made a couple of mistakes which I learned from”, admitted Hannah as she moved forward to explain to the students about the importance of attention to detail.
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Early on into her job, Hannah’s stories of dating men got her on the cover of The Times Magazine titled, ‘Sex and the Young Millennial. She explained how the best stories come from authentic, honest experiences. “I had been on a holiday for Christmas and came back with all these stories about dating men. My editor loved it and said I should write the piece”, she added.
Role of a fashion writer
Hannah also spoke to the students about the realities of having to grab opportunities in the competitive environment. In 2019, she was promoted to the position of Fashion Writer. Her day-to-day role entails many responsibilities, from pitching and writing for The Times Magazine, Times 2, and The News Desk, to overseeing social media. In addition, she has also styled some of the renowned celebrities and sports persons like Andy Murray, Tom Daley, Rebekah Vardy, and Andrew Scott for The Times Magazine cover.
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Current media landscape
In conclusion, Hannah addressed the current media landscape touching on the realities and its challenges. Due to Covid-19, the world is more digitally focused and new opportunities have emerged. She advised, “TikTok and Bumble are on a hiring spree and a lot of brands are looking for in-house editorials”. Hannah encouraged the students to think outside of magazines and newspapers and explore within different platforms.
Key takeaways
- Be willing to explore outside the box and align opportunities with your skills.
- Charter your path and don’t expect people to present you with opportunities.
- Decisiveness and setting goals are important before embarking on a career path.
By Manica Pathak, MA Fashion Journalism
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