Cristo Clear Fashion : 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.