Alumni making waves in fashion

The School of Journalism has had many alumni who have gone on to pursue creative career paths since graduating–and working in the fashion industry is just one of them. From fashion journalists, stylists, art directors, designers, and more, alumni have been breaking the mold on what a journalism degree has to offer nowadays.

“Studying journalism instead of going straight into studying fashion made me a better and smarter writer. It made me aware of how important it was to report on facts and focus on my research. If I went into the fashion or communications route, I would have not treated my stories as seriously as I do now,” says Christian Allaire (RSJ ‘14) Fashion and Style Writer for Vogue Magazine. Allaire was always interested in writing about fashion since he was a kid. Growing up on the Nipissing First Nation reserve in northern Ontario, fashion was always a part of his life. With his sister being a jingle dress dancer, he was constantly exposed to the colourful regalia . When Allaire found his passion for writing, he wanted to combine it with his love for fashion. Opportunity struck while Allaire was interning at Flare Magazine. A month before graduating an editor he worked with was moving to New York City and needed an assistant. 

“New York City has always been the dream place of where I wanted to work. It’s kind of weird how life happens but it has a lot to do with timing, knowing the right people, and working hard. I don’t know how I got here but I did,” says Allaire.

Allaire got his first job at Footwear News as a shoe editor for three years. After freelancing for some time he landed a job at the renowned fashion magazine, Vogue, where he still works today. Allaire enjoys covering celebrity fashion trends during award season, as well as Indigenous fashion because that’s not something the magazine has done a lot of in the past. Allaire has been inspired by Indigenous brands such as the Mobilize Native streetwear brand and Jamie Okuma. 

“I think her work is amazing. There are so many untold stories and designers who haven’t been covered, so they deserve to be talked about,” he says. “Their clothing is just as beautiful as something Chanel is putting out. It’s crazy to me that they haven’t been covered by mainstream outlets, so it’s my mission to highlight their work.”

Allaire is very passionate about putting a spotlight on new up and coming brands. He feels there are so many inspiring designers right now and he loves having the opportunity to chat with them about their clothes. He describes it as the best part of his job.

Allaire recently published a book, The Power of Style in April 2021. It was mostly inspired by not really seeing Indigenous people represented in the fashion industry when he was a kid. He wanted to create a book that highlights fashion and beauty as created by a variety of cultures and minorities . “The book is about empowering your own culture and celebrating your own identity. It’s more about what you just wear on your back, but you’re inviting someone to learn about what you’re wearing and why.”

Jennifer Choy (RSJ ‘07) had a more unconventional path to her career as a fashion stylist and costume buyer for television shows and films. When she was growing up, she was interested in clothes and putting outfits together. Choy was picky about what she wore, and even at the age of six she was always excited to put outfits together in the morning before she went to school. “Dressing well was always important to me and throughout high school people would tell me I had good style. I never thought fashion could be a career, but it fell into place in the end,” says Choy. 

After graduating from Journalism she worked in PR and communications for six years. She didn’t really enjoy her job at the time but loved working for fashion brands and meeting stylists. Choy was unaware that stylists even existed, but it was completely up her alley from her passion for fashion. She finally decided to transition into a career in fashion, although it wasn’t easy. Choy began creating a portfolio and meeting with photographers and stylists. She got her big break when she began working for an agency and worked as a fashion stylist for commercials, and did e-commerce styling and assisting with magazine and newspaper shoots. She also went on to solo projects like styling for music videos and commercials but transitioned into television and film jobs for their schedule flexibility.

Choy is currently a costume buyer for the new CBS show Strange New World. As a costume buyer her job is different on every show. Since her show is in the Sci-Fi genre she buys many of the costumes and fabrics from scratch from different brands and puts a variety of costumes together. Choy has built a wide knowledge on what different brands carry and where she can get certain pieces and fabrics from. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Choy has had a difficult time buying certain materials with stores being closed. “The timelines to get things done are really short, and I get two or three days to make something happen. When designers come to you, you need to find something fast,” says Choy. “I’ve had to find alternative ways to receive materials with either online shopping or curbside pickup. It’s been hard, and sometimes I haven’t succeeded because things are impossible to get.”  

Allaire has felt the ripple effects of the pandemic himself. His interviews are conducted through Zoom and he misses events like fashion week, but Allaire still finds ways to put a spotlight on lesser-known designers or models in the industry. He feels privileged to be able to make them feel seen and have their stories covered by Vogue. 

“The dream is to lift people up who deserve to have their moment and letting them shine. But I think the fashion industry doesn’t do enough of that. Over the past year or two there have been more discussions of inclusivity and diversity and that’s great, but there are so many aspects of the industry where that isn’t happening,” says Allaire. For the future Allaire sees people using fashion as more of a personal expression. He says a lot of designers are seeing and styling clothes that are speaking to the moment. A lot of streetwear brands are now making a political statement and people are using their clothes for a bigger purpose.

The way people also shop is changing. Consumers are becoming more interested in the story of businesses, who the designers are, how the material is made and what the company stands for. As a result, Allaire believes that this mindset is going to give thoughtful, eco-minded, and political brands the ability to continue surviving and selling clothing. 

“For so long fashion was based on what it looks like, and I think it’ll always be that but we’re starting to see a shift. If you want to survive in the industry you need to stand for something and have a purpose for taking up space in the industry – and I think that’s a good thing,” says Allaire.