The Long Hard Slog (A bit self helpy but there is fashion content in there)

Should you have followed my explicit instructions and checked out TWENTY6 Magazine you would see that not only is it as wonderful as I had described but that my name is credited on several shoots. And while this is a sickening display of blowing my own trumpet I am honoured to work for the magazine and am extremely proud of the work that has been produced. Plus I am only a small part out of the group that went into producing the issue and I wish to celebrate everyone. Working in the fashion industry is in no way glamorous and I am not saying that for sympathy or to make my life sound more dramatic it is simply the way it is. 

All screenshots have been taken from www.twenty6magazine.com.

Showcasing Haizhen Wang's SS13 Collection 

Beauty Shoot: Hydrolysis for which I am credited stylist

We will all naturally complain about aspects of our work, that is human nature, and yet there are so many who do not realise how lucky they are. If you can go to work, survive the week coming home with enough money to survive and (once home with a cuppa or a pint) think things are ok. That is all you can really ask for.

Too many people expect too much for too little. The one thing interning and the fashion industry has taught me is that no one owes you anything, you really do reap what you sow, get what you ask for etc. I work harder now than I ever did at school because unlike having to achieve in order to jump through a hoop simply because you have to, I am trying to achieve something for myself. A state I find stressful but oddly addictive. 

I am quite happy to plainly state that working in the fashion industry is without doubt on one level more exciting and glamourous than say financial auditing is. I will also state that the fashion industry does not require the academic prowess of a medical professional. However we are not saving peoples lives! Sure there are those that act like we are but that is in most cases an expression of passion. I admire those that pursue fashion with such furore. The industry is one of the most competitive in the world and one of the worst paid and those who do not attack each working day will quickly fall by the way side, either forgotten or pushed out by someone with more dedication and desire. Stick in second gear and you will fail quite frankly.

My point is that those in fashion work exceedingly hard and I will not be told that we have it easy. The showy exterior of fashion takes an incredible amount of work to maintain. That analogy of a swan looking graceful on above water while its legs kick fiercely beneath springs to mind. It is a combination of long hours, genuine enthusiasm and networking. I am not alone in worrying continuously about money and continuously looking for work, but I love what I do. So long as I can continue to survive then I have very little to actually complain about. I finish by specifying that I am not implying those outside of the fashion industry don't work hard, just that it is possible to "cruise" along in a steady job and fall into a steady monotony, a comfortable luxury that does not exist in the world of la modé. 

Appreciating that was a tad sombre please excuse me while I go dance around the living room listening to various sassy pop diva remixes. Nothing like living to a stereotype to cheer yourself up. And while I do that, enjoy the pieces I worked on this issue. 

Story: Hot Hot Heat 

My favourite look from Hot Hot Heat truly channeling some sex appeal.

Story: Hallucinate 

My favourite look shot through a crystal to create ghostly distortion.

Hope that is all Cristo Clear!

x

TWENTY6 Magazine - H is for...

With each issue paying homage to a letter of the alphabet, TWENTY6 Magazine is a fashion and art magazine that I have had the pleasure of working at since the beginning of this year. Under the leadership of Tilly Hardy (Fashion Director) the online magazine produces quarterly issues featuring fashion and beauty spreads as well as art and lifestyle features with accompanying moving image pieces by way of a unique selling point.

H Issue is here
*Images are screenshots courtesy of twenty6magazine.com

Unless you happen to stumble upon the magic money tree or secure considerable financial backing, launching any form of print media is becoming increasingly difficult. Following the same path as hand writing, CD's and the ability to communicate, magazines are swiftly moving online. Media giants like Condé Nast and Hearst Magazines survive having been established in a time when they did not have giants to compete with and have the financial stores to maintain themselves. With the oligopoly-styled construction of the fashion media industry the internet provides a solution for new talent looking for a platform of promotion and expression. 

TWENTY6 last week published the H Issue. The eighth instalment of the magazine brings an eclectic selection of fashion and beauty stories that exhibit high-end creativity and impact with their raw and beautiful content. Contrasting wonderfully to more commercial titles such as Vogue and Elle. TWENTY6 displays stories with titles that include: Hot Hot Heat, Hi-Ya Huh Ha, Hellraiser and House of Dolls. There are video interviews with designers who have an initial "H" giving insight into the likes of Fashion Fringe winner Haizhen Wang and stalwart shoe designer Terry De Havilland. The magazine is cleanly constructed and wonderfully creative without being pretentious. Just what you want from a modern fashion magazine quite frankly: accessibility and shit-hot content! 

Fashion and Beauty segments

Lifestyle, Showcase and Moving Image Sections

Now make sure you subscribe to the magazine by adding your email to the mailing list and follow us on twitter, like us on facebook, pin us on pinterest, do whatever it is you do on to us instagram, the lot! TWENTY6 is only producing two issues this year with the I Issue coming out around September, it is going to be a major one for the magazine so make sure you know what it is all about. 

Is that Cristo Clear?

x

ps. don't be a douche and ask me what will happen after Z Issue, who knows what the future holds :)