I wasn't going to post another article before Friday - right now I'm more interested in talking about the Breaking Bad finale (so, so powerful!!). But to be honest, not commenting would be doing a disservice to many people working in this industry who feel irritated at some of the criticism the magazine has come under lately (not people working for the magazine, but people working in fashion in general).
I don't ever comment on blogs that analyse my work because I don't believe in doing so, I'm going to make this article the unique exception.
I don't ever comment on blogs that analyse my work because I don't believe in doing so, I'm going to make this article the unique exception.
Most of the criticism has been very good, and I am very happy about that, thank you! I am so glad that you like the cover, the launch and the interviews. I am so happy to have your support!
But there are a few remarks that are unfounded. I won't address most of them, but there are a few silly ones that need to be explained here, as it seems that the public is misinformed as to how a magazine works.
1. "An advert for a brand of milk has no place in the magazine."
Unfortunately, this person has never worked in newspapers or in magazines and doesn't know how this industry works, hence this comment. I completely understand how this person feels, as I used to criticise food products in local magazines when I was younger, before I started working. So let me explain:
A magazine does not collect its revenue from the amount of magazines sold. It collects its revenue from companies willing to advertise in the magazine. In Mauritius
a) economically, things are tough for all,
b) things are going horribly wrong for textile companies,
c) we do not have as many companies working here as we do elsewhere in the world.
Therefore, any advert in a magazine is good, because it brings just about enough money for the magazine to be published. In other words, we do not pick and choose which advert to place.
I repeat, I am not trying to criticise/blame/be angry at the people who write these comments, my only purpose is to inform.
This leads to my second point:
2. "Where are the hairdressers?" amongst other "where is X, Y, Z"
Another extract from my editorial:
"There are of course a few faces that unfortunately could not be included."
This means that because of advertising-related matters, I could not include everyone I wanted. I thank the director of the magazine, Jean-Francois Leckning, for already taking big risks in producing more pages than usual - people here often forget to think, or are simply not aware, about how much all of this costs. Do Sasha and Steeves Ramiah deserve their place in the magazine? Absolutely! And I will include them somehow or the other.
Which leads to my third point:
3. "There should be X, Y, Z new faces."
Here is an extract from my editorial:
"The aim: to unite the most talented people working in fashion today." May I add to that the most influential, the most important.
Now with "influential" and "important" also comes well-known. This is a magazine that will be sent abroad to inform others about our industry. I am not taking the risk of showing anything other than the best talent. I am not here to write about seamstresses, students, bloggers, up and coming ABC. I am here to write about those who are established. I am here to write about the best.
Which brings me to my fourth point:
4. "The magazine is boring because we have already read about these people before."
Now this is just your opinion and I completely respect that, but there are two things I would like to clarify.
1. People interested in fashion have probably read about these people before, for sure. I'm not saying that I have written tons of original stuff here. But please note that this is a magazine. Meant for the public. Who still hasn't understood who works for who, who does what and how.
This is a magazine for them, to inform them about the most talented people working in fashion today. Sure, they may have read about X person tons of times. But have they ever associated X person to other people working in the same sphere? Have they every gotten the chance to read about other people working with X?
2. Writing about well-known people is difficult. However, I have asked them different questions, please take the time to read the interviews properly.
One obvious example: Ravi Jetshan. Ravior was given a three page article (if I'm not mistaken) just a month before in another magazine. Reading this, I had to make sure my interview wasn't going to be a repetition of things said before. It wasn't much about his life but more about what inspires him, the design process, the challenges of creating jewellery in Mauritius, etc.
Moreover to claim that people have "seen this all before" is unfounded. In this magazine, I have exclusive interviews - that's right, interviews of people who have never wanted to talk about themselves before. Not all of them are exclusives for sure, but a good number. And what about those who aren't exclusive? Well, you tell me: have you ever seen anyone in the magazine giving so honest an interview before? Haven't you learned new things about them?
5. "The Editor in Chief begged the readers to buy clothes from designers. That's not the place for such a demand."
Here is the extract from my editorial:
"I hope that People in Fashion will change the way you thought about fashion in Mauritius, that it will teach you about the people involved, their lives, their struggles. I hope you'll help these people by buying their products, giving them contracts, offering words of support."
Please decide for yourself if this means that I am begging.
This person probably doesn't understand the sentence in my editorial. My point is, I want the public to help the people working in fashion, and this means:
For designers: buying their products, offering words of support.
For models, photographers, make-up artists: giving them contracts, offering words of support.
How can you promote the Made in Moris in a better way than actually buying Made in Moris?
More importantly: with the current state of the textile industry, this appeal had to appear at the very start of the magazine. The facts and figures are very clear.
6. "There is too much focus on designers."
What is the only tangible product of this industry that people around the world can see, buy, or feel?
That's right: clothes. This magazine isn't just for the Mauritian public, it's for journalists around the world, and for businessmen interested in helping our local designers establish themselves abroad.
Without designers, there would be no models. There would be no make-up artists creating looks for fashion shows or shoots. There would be no fashion photographers shooting models wearing designer clothes. Designers are essential.
There are many things that I can't comment on. It's up to you to discover these things for yourself. It's a small island, there's a lot of gossip, and only a little truth. But that truth isn't difficult to find.
xoxo
Alex
email: stylemauritius@live.com
