Former British Vogue Editor Gives Scathing Interview about Fashion Industry

A former fashion editor of British Vogue criticizes the fashion industry in an incendiary interview with the journal Vestoj.

Lucinda Chambers was the fashion editor for 25 years but was fired by editor-in-chief Edward Enninful a month and a half before the journal interviewed her. She recounted how it took Enninful just three minutes to fire her, and no one else at the magazine, including human resources, knew it was going to happen.

The account she gave stirred so much controversy that the journal took down the article only to later republish it with a disclaimer: “Due to the sensitive nature of this article, we took the decision to temporarily remove it from the site.”

According to The Cut, Chambers complained about the cutthroat nature of the industry, saying: “Fashion can chew you up and spit you out.” She also talked about how no one is allowed to fail, especially in the age of social media. That prospect, she said, causes anxiety and terror. She added: “No one wants to be the one missing out.”

Chambers also talked about the emotional cost for designers at big conglomerates, where advertisers hold a lot of power. She said a lot of the designers have drinking and drug problems or will have nervous breakdowns. The companies ask too much of the designers so they do it, but they door it poorly, and get fired.

The former editor said she’d like to see both a useful and aspirational fashion magazine, where there is less bullying people into buying something. However, Chambers said she hasn’t read Vogue in years.

“Truth be told, I haven’t read Vogue in years,” she said, reports The New York Times. “Maybe I was too close to it after working there for so long, but I never felt I led a Vogue-y kind of life. The clothes are just irrelevant for most people — so ridiculously expensive.”